BRADFORD, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's basketball team fell to the tough New York University Wednesday at the KOA Arena, 66-28, in a non-conference tilt.

"I'm proud of the way the team defended tonight," Head Coach Ryan Shay said. "NYU is a talented team that we were able to hold below their average. Give them credit as well though. They did a good job keeping us out of a rhythm offensively the entire game."

Pitt-Bradford drops to 2-8 with the decision while NYU moves to 6-5.

The Panther defense forced a stifling 20 NYU turnovers. Wednesday's effort marks the fourth time this season the Panthers have forced 20 or more turnovers.

The 66 points NYU scored Wednesday is the third-fewest total the Violets have poured in all season.

Reggie Rogers led the team in scoring with seven points. 

Justin Kusiappouh collected a team-best nine boards while Dylan Mitchell grabbed six.

NYU raced out to a 22-2 lead through the opening minutes of the contest and eventually held Pitt-Bradford to four made field goals in the opening half.

But, the Violets weren't much better as the Panthers held them to just 26 first-half points and 29.4 percent shooting in the opening period.

Both teams upped the scoring in the second half but NYU outscored the Panthers 40-20 to complete the win.

The Panther defense grabbed seven steals led by three from Ugwunna Amadi and a pair from George Alston.

On offense, Pitt-Bradford turned it over just 16 times compared to the 20 its defense forced.

D.J. Haggins made his career debut after missing the nine games due to injury. The freshman played six minutes and connected on a long two-pointer and one a step back for three, totaling five points on five shot attempts.

Pitt-Bradford will be in action next on Saturday as Mount Aloysius comes to town for a conference contest. Tip is set for 4 p.m.