UMBC dumps Pitt behind Kennedy, Owens and barrage of 3s

PITTSBURGH -- — Keondre Kennedy scored 19 points and L.J. Owens scored 18 and UMBC beat Pittsburgh 87-77 on Saturday.

Kennedy and Owens each made four 3-pointers and the Retrievers (4-2) finished with 14-made 3s in 31 attempts.

Pitt's Femi Odukale went to the bench with two personal fouls in the first half with the Panthers ahead 18-13. In his absence UMBC went on a 17-3 run with six different players making a 3.

UMBC led 55-44 at halftime before Pitt (2-4) reduced its deficit to 62-57 on John Hugley's three-point play with 13:33 left. But UMBC countered with a 9-0 run and the Panthers never got closer.

The Panthers put up their best offensive performance of the season, including hitting 11 threes on the day. However, between 14 threes allowed and 14 turnovers committed, UMBC proved to be too much for the Panthers to overcome.

Hugley scored 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting and Odukale scored 18 for the Panthers in their highest-scoring performance as a team this season.

Pitt hosts Minnesota on Tuesday as part of the start of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

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