Pittsburgh Panthers (AP) Baye Ndongo had 23 points and 21 rebounds, Chase Foster added 20 points and Pittsburgh rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Buffalo Bulls 80-61 on Thursday night.

Ndongo made 13 of 17 free throws and added two steals. The Georgia Tech transfer's 20-20 performance was the first by a Pitt player since Justin Champagnie on Dec. 12, 2020.

The Panthers (2-0) trailed 47-32 early in the second half before steadily erasing the deficit. Jonathan Powell hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull within 53-52, and Naithan George made two free throws to give the Panthers their first lead of the half at 54-53 with 8:59 remaining.

George had 16 points, seven assists and two steals, while Foster finished with nine rebounds and two blocks.

Drew Steffe led Buffalo (0-2) with 15 points, four assists and three steals. Syracuse transfer J.J. Starling added 13 points.

Pittsburgh outrebounded Buffalo 50-27 and outscored the Bulls 48-16 in the second half.

Pittsburgh: Hosts Penn State on Sunday.

Buffalo: Plays United States Collegiate Athletic Association member Penn State Schuylkill this Monday.

---

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here

Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.