CHARLOTTE — Damarco Minor’s putback of his own missed shot with less than a second remaining gave Pitt a stunning 64-63 victory against Stanford in the first game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Tuesday afternoon.
The winning basket was the third shot of the final possession for the Panthers, who won despite Stanford’s strong late-game comeback.
Barry Dunning Jr.’s 16 points, Roman Siulepa’s 14, Cameron Corhen’s 12 and Omari Witherspoon’s 11 paced No. 15 seed Pitt (13-19), which will meet seventh-seeded North Carolina State in the second round Wednesday. Minor’s basket was his second field goal on 10 attempts.
Dunning added a game-high eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Pitt, which has won four of its last six games, was the last team to make the 15-team field, needing overtime in Saturday’s regular-season finale at Syracuse to qualify.
Freshman Ebuka Okorie led 10th-seeded Stanford (20-12) with 14 points. Benny Gealer had 11 points and AJ Rohosy added 10 points for the Cardinal.
It was a devastating outcome for the Cardinal, who closed the regular-season on a four-game winning streak and was considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford used a 10-2 run capped by Donavin Young’s basket with 1:40 left for a 60-59 lead. Dunning hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead for the Panthers going to the final minute.
Gealer’s 3-point attempt was off the mark on Stanford’s ensuing possession. Witherspoon missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity, and Okorie converted a three-point play at the 26.2-second mark to put Stanford back in front before the final sequence.
Minor drove into the lane and launched a floater. The ball bounced off the rim and he was there for the Panthers’ 20th offensive rebound of the game — and his first offensive board — and a quick putback.
Pitt benefitted from a 41-28 rebounding advantage. Stanford, which shot 8-for-20 on 3-pointers, committed 10 turnovers.
Pitt was up 31-23 at halftime for its largest lead of the game.
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
