Pittsburgh 72, Bryant 67

[February 03, 2015]  Pittsburgh 72, Bryant 67: Sophomore Jamel Artis obliterated his previous career high with 32 points, including the clinching free throws with 2.5 seconds left, as the host Panthers survived a major upset scare.

Bryant (10-11), which had lost to Vermont by 26 and St. Francis (N.Y.) by 16 - not to mention losses to four Ivy League teams - led at halftime and gave Pittsburgh (15-8) all it could handle down the stretch. The Panthers, who were coming off a big victory against No. 10 Notre Dame, were able to hang with the Bulldogs thanks to Artis' 11-of-17 shooting before prevailing late behind big shots from Chris Jones and Cameron Wright.

Wright and Josh Newkirk added 11 points apiece and Michael Young chipped in 10 points and 11 boards for Pitt, which improved to 118-3 against non-conference opponents at Petersen Events Center. Dan Garvin paced Bryant with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while Dyami Starks added 17 points and Shane McLaughlin notched 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

The Bulldogs took their final lead 68-67 when McLaughlin found Starks for a nifty reverse layup with 2:25 remaining, but Starks missed a 3-pointer on the next possession and Jones put the Panthers back in front with a jumper with 1:13 left. Wright's jumper with 16.8 seconds remaining pushed the lead to 70-67, and the margin held up when Starks' 3-pointer rimmed off in the waning seconds.

Bryant shot nearly 52 percent in the first half and led by as many as eight before settling for a 36-34 lead at intermission. Artis scored 15 points in less than six minutes as the Panthers turned a six-point deficit into a 53-46 lead with a little less than 11 1/2 minutes to go, but the Bulldogs reeled off 11 straight points - five by Garvin - to go back in front 57-53.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Panthers improved to 72-1 against Northeast Conference opponents. They also extended their home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 31 games. ... Artis' previous career high was a 21-point effort against Duke on Jan. 19. ... Pitt only had six turnovers, four by Wright, while forcing 14 miscues by Bryant.

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.