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

Ohio State led for the majority of the game and nearly all of overtime, but blew a 12-point lead in the second half before allowing Pitt to score six of the last seven points of the extra period.

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

Bruce Thornton collected 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 in the Schottenstein Center.

Meechie Johnson Jr. collected 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 as the Buckeyes were forced to start a small-ball lineup without regular starting center Aaron Bradshaw, who remains out amid a university investigation. Sean Stewart opened the game at center but picked up two fouls and took a seat on the bench just 6:30 into the game.

Austin Parks came in at center and made a bit of noise. He hit a clean reverse layup off an up-and-under then slammed home a feed from John Mobley Jr. after the sharpshooting freshman drew a perimeter double team. Mobley showed why he deserved that double-team on Ohio State’s next possession by canning a 3-pointer with his feet planted inside the Buckeyes’ half-court logo.

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

Bradshaw’s absence and Stewart’s foul trouble forced the Buckeyes to opt 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 tried and failed on several more 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, 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 they were up 9-7 in the first half, and the run kept going with a 3-point play from forward Amadou Kante. Another layup from Leggett capped the scoring streak at 15-0 and Pitt led 61-57 with 10:53 remaining.

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

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 splashed a catch-and-shoot trey of his own before Lowe equalized the contest 77-77 with 33 seconds left. Thornton missed a potential game-winner and the two squads went to overtime.

Overtime

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

Kante fouled out for the Panthers and Thornton sank two more at the charity stripe to set the margin at 84-80. Then Leggett fouled out and Thornton hit two more. But Lowe kept Pitt around. He scored eight consecutive 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.

PITT WINS IT IN COLUMBUS! ZACK AUSTIN THE HERO FOR THE PANTHERS! @Pitt_MBB pic.twitter.com/2e1Tiy4mEk

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 29, 2024

What’s Next?

Ohio State plays 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.

Game Notes

• Ohio State’s 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 got dinged up multiple times, once coming up favoring his ankle and another time his hamstring, but re-entered the contest on both occasions.

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – An employee of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Canfield post has been relocated amid an internal investigation.

According to a spokesperson for the Highway Patrol, the employee was relocated to an “alternative work assignment” after misconduct allegations were made.

The spokesperson did not provide further information but said “swift action was taken” during the administrative investigation.

Gerry Ricciutti contributed to this report.

The four-star defensive end, who decommitted from Ohio State on Tuesday, announced his commitment to Colorado on Thursday night.

Merritt announced his commitment during an interview with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on their podcast, Nightcap, in which he said he would take his talents to “The Colorado University.”

IMG ACADEMY 4 Class Of 2025 London Merritt has COMMITTED to Colorado @merritt_london @ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/CWPfCPrOb6

— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) November 29, 2024

Advertisement

A Georgia native who transferred to IMG Academy for his final season of high school football, Merritt had been committed to Ohio State since March. He’s one of two defensive ends to decommit from Ohio State this month, along with Zahir Mathis, leaving the Buckeyes with only one defensive end (Zion Grady) in their 2025 recruiting class with less than a week to go before signing day.

Merritt, the No. 144 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2025 class, becomes the second-highest-rated prospect in Colorado’s 2025 recruiting class behind highly touted quarterback Julian Lewis. He was one of four players to commit to Deion Sanders’ program on Thanksgiving night along with four-star offensive tackle Carde Smith, fellow IMG Academy defensive end Alex McPherson and three-star Texas wide receiver Quentin Gibson.