PITTSBURGH — Justin Champagnie recorded his second consecutive 20-20 performance and Pittsburgh defeated Gardner-Webb 67-50 at Petersen Events Center on Saturday.
Champagnie followed up his impressive performance against Northwestern on Wednesday with another double-double after scoring 24 points and setting career highs with 21 rebounds and five assists for the Panthers.
“Coach Tim [O’Toole] always tells me, ‘go get the rebound, that’s your strong suit,” Champagnie said. “Nobody can really mess with you down there and that’s one thing you will always have on the other team.’
“I just continuously do it and when I look up. I normally have like 12 rebounds, so I was just like ‘you know what, I’ going to go for 20’ and I just kept going like that.”
He shot 10-for-20 from the field and grabbed 14 of his total rebounds at the defensive end.
The sophomore forward had 20 points and 20 rebounds in the win over the Wildcats in midweek.
BIG ACHIEVEMENT
Champagnie became the 11th player in program history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game for Pittsburgh (4-1) and the first to do it in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Xavier Johnson added 12 points with four assists, while Terrell Brown and John Hugley each grabbed six rebounds for Pitt, which had 8 steals and 7 blocks, but shot 1 of 18 from 3-point range.
“I’m really proud of our guys it’s been a very long emotional week, and I knew that we were at the end of, as my coach used to say an energy cycle,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said.
“Justin [Champagine] was amazing. Justin might be the first guy since Tim Duncan in the ACC to have back to back 20-20 games, which is elite company, but a big-time performance by him.”
Jaheam Cornwall scored 13 points on 5 of 15 shooting and Lance Terry added 10 for Gardner-Webb (0-2), which had its initial opening five games canceled and has now dropped both its played games to start the COVID-19 pandemic delayed season.
The Bulldogs went without a basket from their first 18 shots from the field and was held scoreless until 7:43 left in the half.
Pittsburgh will next open Atlantic Coast Conference league play on the road against Miami Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Gardner-Webb is slated to face the VMI Keydets next on Friday, Dec. 18, at Paul Porter Arena.
