Ohio State
5-2,0-0Big Ten
Pitt
7-1,0-0ACC
Buckeyes Fall at the Buzzer 91-90 to Pitt
11/29/2024 6:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio. – Ohio State led for the majority of the game, but Pitt’s Zack Austin hit a three-pointer with less than a second to play in overtime to give Pitt a 91-90 victory on Friday afternoon inside Value City Arena.
Junior point guard Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes (5-2) with 24 points and nine assists. This was his second consecutive game with at least 24 points and nine assists.
Micah Parrish also had a solid afternoon for the Buckeyes, making all four of his three-point shots and finishing with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Devin Royal had 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Meechie Johnson Jr. chipped-in with nine points and a season-high five assists.
Jaland Lowe led the Panthers with 28 points while Ishmael Leggett finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Ohio State shot 51.7 percent overall from the floor and 55.0 percent from long range. The difference came at the foul line as the Buckeyes were 19-of-29 while Pitt connected on 23-of-30 attempts.
The Buckeyes used a 16-5 run midway through the first half to build a 28-18 lead. Johnson had five points and Parks had four points during the spurt. Pitt climbed back within six but a three-pointer from Thornton would help give the Buckeyes a 48-39 lead at the break. Ohio State shot nearly 70 percent (20-of-29) in the first half, including 6-of-9 from long range.
In the second half, OSU led 57-46 after a Sean Stewart bucket with 16:16 to play. The Buckeyes would then go cold and not score for over seven minutes, allowing Pitt to go on a 15-0 run and take a 61-57 lead.
Ohio State recovered and led by five with 1:30 to play in regulation but an Austin three-pointer and a tough baseline jumper by Lowe evened the score at 71-71. Thornton had a potential game-winning runner in the lane fall off the rim in the closing moments.
In overtime, the Buckeyes took as much as a six-point lead with just less than two minutes to play but would split a pair of free throws on three separate occasions in the final 35 seconds, allowing Pitt an opening and the Panthers took advantage in the final seconds.
Up Next
Ohio State will jump into Big Ten play for the next two games. The Big Ten opening is this Wednesday as the Buckeyes will travel to take on Maryland. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on BTN. They will return home to host Rutgers next Saturday, Dec. 7 at noon.
