Pitt’s Zack Austin Sinks Buckeyes With Overtime Buzzer-Beater, 91-90

On By Littum

Ohio State suffered its second loss of the 2024-25 season in heartbreaking fashion.

In Ohio State’s first overtime game of the season, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Pitt forward Zack Austin lifted the Panthers (7-1) over Ohio State (5-2), 91-90, in overtime.

Ohio State led for the majority of the game and almost all of overtime, but blew a 12-point lead in the second half before Pitt was allowed to score six of the final seven points in the overtime period.

TEAM

1

2

OT

FINALLY

PITTSBURGH 39 38 14 91

OHIO STATE

48

29

13

90

Guard Jaland Lowe led the way for Pitt, scoring a game-high 28 points. Fellow guard Ishmael Leggett added 21 points, while Austin chipped in 16.

Bruce Thornton tallied 24 points and nine assists in the loss, both team-highs. Devin Royal and Micah Parrish followed with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

First half

It took nearly eight minutes for either team to take a two-score lead at the Schottenstein Center.

Meechie Johnson Jr. tallied eight points in that time, including two well-contested 3-pointers, one from the right corner and one from the left wing. The second of those triples made it 19-13 Ohio State with 12:07 to play in the first half.

Pitt had a clear size advantage from the opening tip, especially since the Buckeyes were forced to start a small-ball lineup without regular starting center Aaron Bradshaw, who remains out amid a college investigation. Sean Stewart opened the game at center but picked up two fouls and was benched just 6:30 into the game.

Austin Parks came into the middle and made a bit of noise. He hit a clean reverse layup from an up-and-under, then swatted a feed from John Mobley Jr. home after the sharpshooting freshman drew a perimeter double team. Mobley showed why he deserved the double team on Ohio State’s next possession by making a 3-pointer with his feet planted inside the Buckeyes’ halfcourt logo.

Thornton hit a mid-range jumper to cap a 7-0 run and Ohio State led 28-18. Royal tallied six points and Mobley hit a left corner 3 to help hold the lead for a while before a pair of Leggett layups cut the margin to six. A Thornton three from the top of the key helped the Buckeyes take a 48-39 advantage into halftime.

Bradshaw’s absence and Stewart’s foul trouble forced the Buckeyes to go for a lot of three-guard lineups in the first half, but it proved beneficial to their passing and shooting. Ohio State went 6-of-9 from 3-point range and collected 12 assists on 20 made shots.

Second half

Stewart opened the second half with a 3-point play and combined with Thornton to get a massive pop from a decently crowded arena on an alley-oop flush. Ohio State led 57-46. Then the Buckeyes came crashing back to earth.

Turnovers mounted as the Buckeyes attempted and failed on several alley-oop attempts. Ohio State missed five straight field goals and went more than seven minutes without scoring, giving the ball away six times in that span.

Meanwhile, Pitt’s offense kept humming along, especially Leggett, who quickly made a pair of 3-point plays both the old-fashioned way and with a shot from beyond the arc. The latter play gave the Panthers their first lead since going up 9-7 in the first half, and the run continued with a 3-point play from forward Amadou Kante. Another layup from Leggett ended the 15-0 run and Pitt led 61-57 with 10:53 left.

Parrish brought the crowd back into things with a four-point play when he was fouled by Leggett at the top of the key as he drained a 3-pointer. Mahaffey slapped back a miss to give the Buckeyes the lead back. Zack Austin hit a triple for the Panthers, but Thornton answered with a three of his own to make it a 67-66 Buckeye edge with 5:28 left.

Up 68-67, Parrish drained a nasty step-back 3-pointer from the right wing. Royal extended the lead to 73-68 on a pair of free throws. Pitt cut it to 73-72, but Parrish was ready with another triple.

But Austin drained a catch-and-shoot trey of his own before Lowe tied the contest 77-77 with 33 seconds left. Thornton missed a potential game-winner and the two teams went to overtime.

Overtime

Thornton opened the overtime with a bang, pulling up for a quick triple while driving full speed to his left. Two free throws by Royal gave Ohio State an early two-score lead in the overtime period, 82-78.

Kante fouled out for the Panthers and Thornton sank another two at the charity stripe to cut the margin to 84-80. Then Leggett struck out and Thornton struck out two more. But Lowe kept Pitt around. He scored eight straight points for the Panthers to make it a one-point game, 89–88. After Royal made just one free throw on Ohio State’s next possession, Austin hit a three with Parrish’s hand in his face to win the game for Pitt.

What’s next?

Ohio State will play its first Big Ten game of the 2024-25 season when it travels to College Park to face Maryland on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Playing notes

  • The Ohio State loss was the first overtime game of the Jake Diebler era.

  • Friday marked the 26th all-time meeting between Pitt and Ohio State in men’s basketball, with Pitt now leading the series 16-10.

  • Freshman forward Colin White was out with an injury against the Panthers and was seen wearing a walking boot.

  • Royal sustained stiffness several times, once coming up in favor of his ankle and another time his hamstring, but re-entered the contest on both occasions.