Ed DeChellis had hoped there wouldn't be any more of these games.

The first-year coach and western Pennsylvania native wore a look of frustration for most of his homecoming against No. 22 Pittsburgh (6-0). Little went right for DeChellis and his Nittany Lions (3-2) as the Panthers dominated play en route to a 64-37 win on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.

"We were really, really poor," DeChellis said of his team's effort. "It was a completely different team that I saw in the last two practices and the game the other night."

The loss brought back painful memories of lopsided defeats last season to Pennsylvania and Michigan State that DeChellis had hoped to erase. Before the game, he talked about avoiding the embarrassing losses like the ones from the past.

This year it didn't even take until halftime to become embarrassing.

A team that had been notoriously slow starters in their first five games, the Panthers came out on fire, building a 39-11 lead by the half.

"We've been coming out sluggish," Pitt forward Jaron Brown said. "But Penn State is a rival and we had to get pumped up."

The senior Brown turned in a solid all-around performance, registering 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block. The Panthers had a very balanced attack, with four players in double figures in scoring.

The stats said it all for the Lions, who didn't break double digits in points until late in the first half and shot a miserable 4-for-26 from the field. There was a nearly eight-minute period in the first half where Penn State was held off the scoreboard.

Junior Jan Jagla led the Lions, finishing with 11 points, nine short of his season average.

Still, the Panthers' smothering defense made the difference as they ran their record to 20-0 all-time at the Petersen Events Center.

"Our guys work hard here," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "We take pride in how we play here."

By the end of the game, both coaches had emptied their benches, as Jason McDougald and Rob Fletcher both saw their first playing time of the season for the Lions.

The 27-point loss was on par with the 62-37 loss to Pennsylvania and 70-36 loss to Michigan State that the Lions suffered through last season.

The challenge for DeChellis now is to regroup his squad to face another Big East foe when Rutgers visits the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday.

"There weren't a whole lot of positives," DeChellis said. "We've got to learn to move on."