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PITTSBURGH (AP) Trey McGowens scored 18 points as Pitt held off upset-minded Northern Illinois 59-50 on Monday night.

Pitt trailed at halftime and for more than 25 minutes of the contest, but came through late when McGowens hit a 3-pointer from the Pitt logo at the center of the court to put the Panthers up by seven points with under a minute to play.

McGowens finished 7 of 13 from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range, where he was the only Panthers player to make a basket. The rest of Pitt's players were 0 for 9.

The Huskies built a lead, thanks to the play of senior guard Eugene German, who scored 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting and was 4 of 12 from behind - and at times way behind - the 3-point arc. Northern Illinois shot 40% from 3-point range.

NIU extended its lead to seven in the second half before Pitt head coach Jeff Capel switched to a matchup zone that shut down the Huskies' offense. Pitt (8-3) finished the game on a 15-0 run over the final 6:11 and the Huskies (6-5) missed their final 11 field goal attempts.

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Pitt: Continues its four-game homestand by hosting Binghamton on Friday. Pitt has never lost to a member of the America East Conference.