New York, NY -- (Sports Network) - Sam Young tallied 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, and the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers held off the 10th-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats for a 70-64 victory in the opening round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Keith Benjamin added 15 points and five rebounds for Pittsburgh (23-9), which will take on second-seeded Louisville in the quarterfinals on Friday. Ronald Ramon posted 12 points and six boards in the win, and Levance Fields had 10 points and six assists.

Deonta Vaughn led Cincinnati (13-18) and all scorers with 30 points and six helpers. Rashad Bishop netted 11 points and Jamual Warren chipped in with 10, as the Bearcats ended their season with a six-game losing streak.

The Panthers limited Cincinnati to a dismal 34.6 percent shooting effort from the field over the first 20 minutes of play, carrying a 31-25 lead to the break.

In the second half, Vaughn scored 20 straight points for Cincinnati over an 11-minute span to keep things interesting, but Pittsburgh made 13 free throws in the frame to hang on for the six-point victory.

The Panthers, who have reached the finals of this event in six of the last seven years, made 43.1 percent of their attempts from the floor and 8-of-21 from long range in the game.