Pitt Wins 65-64 Road Thriller at North Carolina

Wednesday, February 1

Chapel Hill, NC

7 PM

Pitt

16-7,9-3ACC

North Carolina

15-7,7-4ACC

Pittsburgh

North Carolina

Pitt Wins 65-64 Road Thriller at North Carolina

2/1/2023 10:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Notes Pitt Highlights Photo Gallery

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Nelly Cummings scored a team-high 21 points and Jamarius Burton knocked down a pair of free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to lead the Panthers to a dramatic 65-64 road victory over North Carolina at the Dean E. Smith Center Wednesday night. Pitt improved to 16-7 overall, 9-3 in the ACC and 5-1 in ACC road games with the victory.

Cummings went 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range for his third 20-plus point performance and tenth double-figure scoring game of the season. Jamarius Burton finished with 19 points, including going 6-of-6 from the foul line, while adding five rebounds. Sibande came off the bench to contribute 10 points, seven rebounds and a steal.

Pitt and North Carolina went back-and-forth the entire 40 minutes, as the game featured 12 lead changes, including eight in the first half of play, and eight ties. The Panthers used a 13-3 run to jump to a 26-23 lead at the 5:29 minute mark in the first half. Pitt made three straight baskets from beyond the arc during the run, sparked by a Greg Elliott corner three and followed by two threes from Burton and Cummings.

The Tar Heels took a 33-32 lead with just 51 seconds left to play before the break, but Sibande tipped in a Burton miss to give the Panthers the 34-33 edge heading into the intermission.

North Carolina jumped to a 39-38 lead five minutes into the second half and followed with another 13-2 run to make the score 46-40 at the 12:50 minute mark. Cummings answered with three straight three-point field goals to lead the Panther's on a 15-2 run and go up 48-51 at the 10:27 mark.

As the Panthers increased their lead by as much as seven points, the Tar Heels answered with another run to tie the game with under four minutes left to play. North Carolina took a one-point edge on an Armado Bacot made free throw, but a turnover by Bacot and a foul drawn by Burton set up the dramatic ending.

Following Burton free throws, North Carolina pushed the ball to midcourt and called timeout with 0.6 seconds remaining. Sibande's blanket coverage of Caleb Love kept the North Carolina guard from getting a desperation three off before the final buzzer. Regardless of the buzzer, Sibande knocked the attempt out of the air and sent the Panthers' home with another close win.

The Panthers held the Tar Heels to 34.8 percent (23-of-66) shooting and 36.8 percent (5-of-27) from three-point range. Caleb Love paced North Carolina with 22 points and six rebounds while Bacot recorded his xx double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.

CAPEL HILL
Pitt became just the third team to win three consecutive games at the Dean E. Smith Center…The Panthers have won five of the past six games against North Carolina and have swept the Tar Heels in a home and away series for the second time in the past four seasons.

STRONGEST START IN ACC
Pitt moved to 9-3 in ACC play, marking the most wins in conference play since the 2015-16 season…The Panthers are 6-2 in true road games, including a 5-1 mark in ACC play, and is one of three ACC teams (along with Clemson and Virginia) with a winning record on the road.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Panthers posted their third consecutive one possession win with getting defensive stops in the closing seconds of each of the past three games.

THREE POINT THREAT
Nelly Cummings went 8-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point range, to record his sixth game making three or more threes in a game. The Midland, Pa. native hit three-pointers on three consecutive possessions in the second half to erase a six-point deficit.

ON THE ROAD
The Panthers are 6-2 in true road games, including a 5-1 mark in ACC play. Pitt is one of three ACC teams (along with Clemson and Virginia) with a winning record on the road.

UP NEXT
Pitt returns to action Tuesday, February 7 (ACCN – 7 p.m.) against Louisville at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers are 4-2 in conference road games this season and have won three of their last five games in Pittsburgh.