Dominic James left the game with an injured shoulder and Marquette fell apart.

That simple explanation for Marquette's 77-71 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday masked two equally important problems: Steve Novak's inability to get open looks and the way 7-foot-0 Panther center Aaron Gray dominated the paint.

Sure, Pittsburgh (17-1, 6-1 Big East) went on a 24-12 run after James left the game with a sprained right shoulder with 13:16 left in the game. Senior Carl Krauser, who had 16 points for the Panthers, immediately took advantage with five quick points — a banked-in three-pointer from the corner and a layup off a steal — to give Pittsburgh its first lead at 49-47.

But Marquette's lead always seemed tenuous.

The Golden Eagles had no answer for Gray, who accumulated 13 points and 20 rebounds, and Pittsburgh's 26 second-chance points and 45-30 rebounding edge eventually caught up to them.

No Marquette opponent had controlled the boards to such an extent since a Nov. 19 loss to Winthrop, which grabbed more offensive rebounds than Marquette had total. The Golden Eagles face Georgetown and Pittsburgh again in the middle of February during a three-day home stand, and controlling the glass will be vital in both games.

"We could have done a better job of boxing out, screening them and being more physical with them," said Marquette sophomore Dan Fitzgerald. "But they're a good team."

Pittsburgh, known for its relentless defense, held a still-gimpy Novak in check.

The senior, who took just five shots against DePaul on Jan. 25, was still nursing an ankle injury, which hindered his movement off the ball and his ability to curl around screens.

"We just got to do a better job of getting him the ball and getting him open with tough screens," Fitzgerald said.

Novak went 3-of-9 Saturday and had eight points, but there were extended spells in which he barely touched the ball on offense.

Despite the Panthers' interior domination and Novak's offensive tentativeness, Marquette held onto its lead for about three-quarters of the game. Pittsburgh, however, wore the Golden Eagles down late.

Antonio Graves, who led all scorers with 19 points, did to Marquette what Fitzgerald had done to DePaul three days earlier: provide an unlikely contribution off the bench.

"It's the depth of the league," Marquette head coach Tom Crean told the Associated Press after the game. "Teams can go to their bench, and there's no drop-off. It's really impressive."

Graves, who had averaged 1.0 points and 10.8 minutes in his previous five games, hit the three-pointer to put the Panthers ahead for good at 61-58.