Khem Birch was losing his bout with nerves. He had a turnover, a missed layup -- and suddenly some doubt -- only 30 seconds into his first career start. The 6-foot-9 Canadian with a blond streak in his hair just needed one big block to swat away the angst and make an impact for Pitt. Birch had a breakthrough game with 15 points and 10 rebounds to help Pittsburgh (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) pull away late against pesky Penn for a 78-58 win in the Philly Hoop Group Classic on Friday night.