Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Sam Young poured in 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds during the 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers' rout of the Providence Friars, 82-63, in Big East action at the Petersen Events Center.

DeJuan Blair tallied 15 points for the Panthers (19-5, 7-4 Big East), who have triumphed in three of their last four outings. Ronald Ramon also added 15 points, shooting an impressive 5-for-7 from three-point range, and handed out a game-high six assists, helping Pitt improve to 14-1 as the host. Ramon's three-point shooting performance came on the heels of his buzzer-beater from beyond the arc, as the Panthers squeaked past West Virginia, 55-54, on Thursday.

Marshon Brooks paced the Friars (13-11, 4-8) with 15 points. Jeff Xavier provided 14 points in the losing effort, as Providence dropped its sixth contest out of the last seven played. Randall Hanke chipped in with 10 points, not nearly enough to avoid the Friars slipping to 1-7 on the road. Providence has not defeated Pittsburgh since Jan. 23, 2001, when it earned a 77-61 victory at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Friars have been downed in eight consecutive meetings against the Panthers.

Out of the intermission, Providence struck first, closing the gap to 42-39, before Pitt responded by ripping off a remarkable 21-2 run to earn an insurmountable advantage. Brad Wanamaker nailed a layup to cap the burst, and the Panthers surged to a 63-41 lead with 10:55 remaining.

"(Providence) shot 57 percent from the field in the first half," explained Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon. "We had to get it done with the defense. The (second half) run was based on our defense, not on our offense. It was just solid defense, (and) a little bit more patience."

The closest Providence climbed in the second stanza was within 14 points, at 71-57, while Pittsburgh topped out at a 23-point cushion, 66-43.

"I thought we fought hard on the defensive end all night long," said Providence head coach Tim Walsh. "(Pitt had) a lot of answers. (In the) first half, we hung around the game because we scored. In the second half, we were having problems running our offense, we turned the ball over, we took some bad shots and they forced us into some tough shots."

After the Friars jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, the frame featured seven lead changes. Providence last held the advantage at the 6:10 mark, after Hanke hit a layup. The Friars pulled within a point twice, at 31-30 and 33-32, but that was as close as they came through the remainder of the matchup.

When Young drained a jumper with six seconds on the clock, the Panthers pushed ahead, 42-37, and they took that edge into the locker room.