Junior guard Jamel Artis scored a season-high 29 points and added eight rebounds and four assists as Pittsburgh survived Western Carolina's upset bid with a 79-73 victory on Wednesday night at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.

After two free throws from freshman guard Elijah Pughsley, Western Carolina led 61-54 with seven minutes remaining. Pittsburgh was unable to reclaim the lead until guard-forward Chris Jones knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:37 left to go up by two.

The Panthers (10-1) led 37-32 at halftime despite trailing by eight points midway through the first half. The Catamounts (4-8) fell behind 47-39 with 15:32 to play before a 12-3 run resulted in a 51-50 lead with 10:53 remaining.

Junior forwards Michael Young and Sheldon Jeter each added 12 points and six rebounds for Pittsburgh.

Western Carolina senior guard Rhett Harrelson poured in a team-high 21 points.

Pittsburgh made just 2 of 13 3-point shots but was 29 of 33 from the free throw line (88 percent).

Pittsburgh will open ACC play on Saturday night at Syracuse. Western Carolina will try to bounce back at home against Division II Mars Hill on Saturday afternoon.