Zack Austin hit the winning 3-point shot Friday afternoon with 0.04 seconds left in overtime to lift Pitt to a 91-90 victory against Ohio State, but there he was in a postgame interview apologizing.
The moment inside Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, was not too much for him, but he was overcome by another force, his emotions.
“I’m sorry. I’m getting emotional,” he said on 93.7 FM, almost moved to tears. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work. Coaches put their trust in me, believing in me to make shots and do what I couldn’t do last year. So, shout-out to them, shout-out to God, man, shout-out to my teammates, shout-out to everybody who’s been there with me the whole time.”
The victory against a Power 4 team — the Buckeyes are 5-2 — could be one that will benefit the Panthers in March when NCAA Tournament invitations are issued. For now, Pitt will take its 7-1 record and prepare for another road game Wednesday at Mississippi State in an SEC/ACC Challenge game.
“Big-time building block for us,” associate head coach Milan Brown said. “Big-time bus trip home.”
The decisive shot with Pitt trailing 90-88 was a deep, straight-away 3-pointer, his fifth of the game in eight attempts. But Austin relied on more than shooting ability to bury the basketball inside the cords and quiet most of the crowd of 13,064. He also was paying attention to his opponent’s defensive tendencies.
ZACH AUSTIN WINS IT AT THE BUZZER FOR @Pitt_MBB ???? pic.twitter.com/80CiqCLey1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 29, 2024
“I noticed when (Jaland Lowe) drove (on the previous possession),” Austin said, “everybody crashed down. So next time we came down, we weren’t really trying to look for a 3. We were just trying to get a quick 2. I saw my man go push over, so I just screamed at Lowe. Shout-out to Lowe because he trusted me passing the ball and, God-willing, I made the shot.”
Pitt never led by more than five points in a game where the lead see-sawed back and forth. Ohio State’s largest lead was 53-41 with 18 minutes, 24 seconds left in the second half. Then, in overtime, Ohio State hit 10 of 14 free throws but only one field goal while taking an 86-80 lead with 1:53 remaining in the game.
Pitt kept punching back, however. Lowe, who led all scorers with 28 points, hit a field goal and 6 of 7 free throws in overtime, including three in row when he was fouled trying a 3-point shot with 6 seconds left.
That cut the Ohio State lead to 89-88, but after the Buckeyes’ Devin Royal went 1 of 2 on free throws, the path was clear for Austin to win it.
Pitt played the game without starting guard Damian Dunn (thumb, ankle) and the last two minutes of overtime without Ishmael Leggett (21 points) and redshirt freshman Papa Kante, both of whom fouled out.
Kante, who played 17 minutes off the bench after getting a total of only 17 in the first seven games, came off the bench to give the Panthers energy, Brown said.
“Papa changed the game with his energy,” Brown said.
He scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot. In a tense game where every shot counted, he hit 6 of 9 free-throw attempts.
“Pap works so hard (in practice),” Austin said. “Every day he comes in with a smile on his face, cheering everybody. He hasn’t played much this season. He came in ready. He trusted his work. We trust him. We don’t win this game without him. That’s my roommate, too, so shout-out to Pap.”
Kante, a native of Senegal, missed his first-year freshman season with a knee injury, but he stayed true to his rehab. Coach Jeff Capel carefully monitored his minutes in the first seven games, but Kante found himself Friday.
“Him to be ready in that moment,” Brown said, “not having played so much and still trying to get his legs back up under him, still trying to have some confidence …
“To do it on the road in this type of moment … he looked like the top-100 (high school) kid we brought in here a year ago. At the end of the day, when he got lathered up and started playing, we’re on the side going, ‘That’s the guy we brought in.’ He did exactly what he always does in practice. He plays with energy, rebounds the basketball, finishes plays and makes free throws.”
Pitt guards Lowe and Leggett kept the Panthers in the lead or close to it throughout the game. Each played 42 of the game’s 45 minutes. Lowe, whose basket with 33 seconds left in the second half forced overtime, was 9 of 20 from the field, 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, with four assists and a block. Leggett was 9 of 22, with 10 rebounds and four assists.
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“Somebody better tweet something out about these two guys,” Brown said. “With another one (Dunn) on the shelf.
“Those guys are built Ford tough. They understand the moments. They can feed off each other and their teammates. More importantly, they have done a great job of taking the message, the plays, the emotions of whatever coach Capel needs at that moment, and they can transfer it to the team.
“Coach feels really comfortable that he has two lieutenants in there, barking (his) orders.”
The victory was a team effort, but, in the end, Austin filled the spotlight.
“The reason why Zack was emotional right there was because of the work that he put in,” Brown said, “and the belief he has from his teammates, his family and himself.
“He’s put more into the bucket. So he feels like he can, rightfully so, deserve to get more out of the bucket. After this win, he wasn’t the only one shedding a tear. (His teammates) were happy for him and happy for Pap.”