SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- There were times when Pitt just couldn't miss Saturday.

The Panthers hit 10 of their first 12 shots from the field to start the game. They had 18-point leads in both halves.

But with the game on the line, it came down to clutch free throws by guard James Robinson and forward Michael Young as 24th-ranked Pitt hung on for an 86-82 victory over Notre Dame (10-5, 1-2) on Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.

Until Young landed in foul trouble late in the first half, he was impossible for the Irish to stop. Young scored 18 of his 25 points by intermission and the Panthers (14-1, 3-0 ACC) led by six. Forward Jamel Artis had 16 of his 19 points in the first 20 minutes.

Pitt forward Sheldon Jeter caught fire in the second half when he scored 14 of his 18 points.

Guard Demetrius Jackson topped four Notre Dame players in double figures with 26 points. Guard Steve Vasturia and forward Bonzie Colson each had 13 and forward Zach Auguste had 12 before fouling out.

As Irish coach Mike Brey surveyed the damage, the most painful statistic was 18 points off the bench from Jeter.

"We've had a lot of close games and he'll continue to be in those for obvious reasons," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "We feel that he is one of our five. We like the balance he brings and the ability to score."

Notre Dame couldn't find anyone who could contain Young down low in the first half. He missed just two of nine shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

"We didn't come into the game thinking we were going to score as much as we did," Young said. "Our goal was to come in and play defense and rebound. If we did that, we would have a great chance at winning."

Pitt won the rebounding battle 18-8 in the first half but was challenged to keep the Irish from scoring. Notre Dame kept it close by shooting 57 percent from the field in the first half and trailed by six at the break.

"The points came," Young said. "I started off hot and Sheldon came off the bench hot, but our rebounding (a 34-24 advantage) was what won the game."

The Irish made their first-half recovery when Jackson connected on four straight 3-pointers to bring the crowd alive.

"The way we played when we were 18 down is how we should be playing from the beginning," Jackson said. "Going for it, nothing to lose. Being confident, being physical and just fighting.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win. We just have to be fighting from the start and not put ourselves in such a hole."

Notre Dame whittled the deficit to four points before Pitt added two before the halftime buzzer.

In the second half, a jumper by Robinson with 10:49 left in the game pushed the Panthers' advantage to 18 again at 72-54.

Notre Dame, which only committed three turnovers, cranked up the defensive pressure and played its way back into the game -- again. A layup by Vasturia with 1:58 left pulled the Irish within two at 79-77. But they never got any closer.

The Irish had one last chance to tie the score when, with 15 seconds to play and Pitt leading by three, forward Matt Ryan's open 3-point try slid off the rim and out of bounds to Pitt.

"We did some really good stuff to keep digging and give ourselves a chance with a team that was in great offensive rhythm," Brey said. "We started the game (a 13-0 deficit) on our heels. It's so exhausting.

"For us to have a Matt Ryan 3 to tie it, I don't know if we deserve that, frankly. Somehow that game got crazy and we were in that position."

NOTES: While Notre Dame had just three turnovers, Pitt was also solid with the ball, committing just seven turnovers. ... Stats have a way of evening out. The Panthers shot 59 percent from the field in the first half and for a time early in the second half they were above 60 percent. But Pitt, which shoots 50 percent from the field this season, ended the game at 50 percent (28 of 56). ... Besides combining for 62 points, F Jamel Artis, F Michael Young and F Sheldon Jeter also combined for seven assists. That means the trio had a hand in at least 76 of Pitt's 86 points.