PITTSBURGH, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team opened their preseason with an exhibition against Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, with Clarion falling by a 103-51 score to the Panthers at Petersen Events Center.
 
Taking on an ACC opponent in their own building was going to be a touch task for the Golden Eagles, though Clarion enjoyed several bright spots during their stay in Oakland. Sophomore center Madior Seye played a team-high 32:30 and made those minutes count, going 6-of-11 from the field for 13 points. The seven-footer also pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Gerald Jarmon finished with 11 points.
 
Clarion showed a three-guard look against the Panthers that included a veteran trio of Jarmon, Mekhi Reynolds and Steve Kelly. The front court featured Seye and freshman Jayson Harris, with the latter playing more than 27 minutes and going 3-of-6 from the field for seven points, five rebounds and two assists.
 
Pitt carried the action from the very outset, building a 9-2 lead by the first media timeout of the first half and stretching the lead to double-digits by the second one. Jarmon drained a three-pointer at the 7:50 mark to cut the lead to 28-13, but the Panthers kept coming and expanded the lead to 50-19 by the halftime break.
 
Clarion opened the second half on a little bit of a run, outscoring the Panthers 11-9 through the first media timeout. Kelly hit a three-pointer at the 16:02 mark, taking a pass from Harris and draining the shot to make it 59-30. Seye scored on a long hook shot at the 15:13 mark to make it 61-32, and Jarmon sunk a pull-up at 14:09 of the half to make it 63-34. All told the Golden Eagles outpaced Pitt through the first six minutes of the second half, before the Panthers regained full control of the game. Neither team scored from the 5:33 mark until there was just 2:31 remaining, with Kai Kueper and Nate Cullo making buckets down the stretch.