The only boos emanating from the Petersen Events Center crowd last night came in the first half, when Steelers quarterback and Miami of Ohio alumnus Ben Roethlisberger was shown on the video scoreboard in a private box surrounded by red-clad RedHawks officials.

The crowd didn't boo the home team, but there was plenty of grumbling about the way the Panthers were playing. Pitt blew an early double-digit lead and led by only five points at halftime. What was worse was that the RedHawks were beating the Panthers at their own game, making more hustle plays and owning the glass.

In the second half, No. 5 Pitt got back to its bread and butter and turned the tables on the RedHawks in an 82-53 victory that finally sent the 10,072 fans home with smiles on their faces.

"We came out with a whole new attitude for the second half," sophomore center DeJuan Blair said. "We were angry. We weren't playing that well at the end of the first half, not the way we should. Everyone had their heads down. I tried to pick them up and tell them it was a whole new half. We came out and responded."

It was a resounding response. The Panthers played a near-perfect final 20 minutes, shooting 64 percent from the field while forcing the RedHawks to shoot 22 percent. After getting outrebounded by five in the first half, the Panthers had a 12-rebound margin in the second half.

Every conceivable facet of the game was dominated by Pitt in the second half, but coach Jamie Dixon was most impressed with his team's defensive effort.

"I'm very happy with our defense tonight," Dixon said. "I told the guys afterward that if our seniors continue to prepare our team the way they did the last couple of days this team can really take some strides. If they continue to stick with it and lead like they did we can really improve and become a pretty good team."

Miami of Ohio forward Michael Bramos came into the game averaging 17.5 points per game, but the Panthers held him to only two points and without a field goal. He was 0 for 6 from the field and 0 for 3 from 3-point range.

"We didn't want to foul him," Dixon said. "About half of his points have come from the free-throw line. We really tried to stay at home and not over-help on penetration. I could see us understanding it and valuing the team defense. I felt very good about how well we were playing going into the game. I saw us improve defensively."

After going into halftime with a 35-30 advantage, the Panthers scored 16 of the first 18 points of the second half to seize control. The Panthers did all of that damage in less than five minutes.

Jermaine Dixon and Sam Young led the charge. Young scored six of his 14 points and Dixon eight of his 14 in that decisive stretch. By the time Dixon made a steal and converted a layup with 15:38 remaining, the Panthers led 51-32, and the RedHawks could not recover.

"They just went crazy," Miami of Ohio coach Charlie Coles said. "And we never got it back. I thought we bowed our heads a little bit and didn't remain positive. I had a hard time figuring out what to do next. I ran out of ideas with about 15 minutes to go."

It was a bit of a surprise that Pitt had such an easy time of it. Miami of Ohio almost upset UCLA on the road Thursday night, losing, 64-59. Coles intimated that the cross-country travel might have had something to do with his team's poor play in the second half.

"We came home for a day and then we came to play Pitt," Coles said. "We don't have a lot of physical players."

All five of Pitt's starters scored in double figures. Senior point guard Levance Fields registered his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. Blair finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

NOTES -- Sophomore forward Gilbert Brown will have an MRI today on the stress fracture in his left foot. ... Pitt was 7 for 17 as a team from 3-point range ... Dixon, Fields and Tyrell Biggs each made two 3-pointers ... The Panthers had 21 assists and 14 turnovers.