Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Pitt Panthers proved why they are the nation's third-ranked team as they hit 36 of 65 attempts from the floor (55.4%) and 14 of 27 from behind the arc and defeated the visiting UMBC Retrievers, 91-56 before 10,188 fans at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt improved to 10-0 on the season while UMBC dropped to 5-4.
Senior forward Darryl Proctor (District Heights, Md.), who was helped from the floor late in the first half, returned and led UMBC with 13 points. Freshman forward Chauncey Gilliam (Columbia, Md.) added 11 points and junior guard Matt Spadafora (Richboro, Pa.) scored 10 as both players hit four of seven shots from the floor. Senior guard Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa.) scored nine points and added five assists, with no turnovers in 37 minutes of action.
Gilliam led UMBC with six rebounds, but the Retrievers were outrebounded, 33-20.
Spadafora got UMBC off to a 5-0 start with a field goal and a three-pointer, but Pitt scored the next nine points to take the lead for good. The Panthers hit six of 11 three-pointers in the first half and Levance Fields' three at the buzzer gave the hosts a 42-25 halftime advantage.
Pitt hit 11 of its first 13 attempts in the second half as their lead escalated throughout the final 20 minutes.
The Retrievers return to action next Saturday when they host American University.
