PITTSBURGH — Pitt knows Gilbert Brown is capable of games like this. What the Panthers would love to see is Brown having them on a consistent basis, not just once a month.

Brown missed only two shots while scoring a career-high 28 points and No. 8 Pittsburgh took off following a slow start to beat Maryland-Eastern Shore 97-64 on Saturday night.

Ashton Gibbs added 15 points and seven assists, and Gary McGhee had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Pitt (11-1). Hillary Haley scored 17 for the Hawks (2-8), who have lost their last four by an average of 30 points.

Pitt quickly opened a 9-2 lead, but Maryland-Eastern Shore came back to make it 26-22 with 6:48 remaining in the first half. Brown, coming off a 15-point game in a loss to Tennessee, then scored 10 points in less than three minutes to key a 21-5 run that made it 47-27.

Brown, a 6-foot-6 senior who has been a streaky scorer throughout his career, made 11 of 13 shots — 4 of 5 from 3-point range — and both of his free throws while topping his previous career high of 25 points against South Florida on Jan. 31.

“I still ain’t figured it out,” Brown said. “But I’ve felt good all week shooting the ball. My mindset has been no hesitation — just go out and play basketball and be aggressive. ... Sometimes I feel like we’re holding back and don’t play to our talents.”

Brown had 19 points by halftime, then made a pair of baskets as Pitt went on an 11-2 run early in the second half. He had 28 with nearly 13 minutes remaining.