Field Level Media
Jan 6, 2021
Au'Diese Toney's tip-in with 8.2 seconds left helped Pittsburgh record a 63-60 win over Syracuse in an ACC game on Wednesday in New York.
Syracuse's Alan Griffin attempted a half-court shot that caromed off the front rim as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
Pittsburgh (6-2, 2-1) trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 16 with 11:05 left in the game.
Toney had 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Ithiel Horton, who missed the 3-point try that Toney tipped in for the go-ahead bucket, had a team-high 14 points.
Syracuse (6-2, 1-1) was led by Griffin, who had a game-high 15 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
Teammate Robert Braswell, who entered the game 0-for-12 on 3-pointers this season, added 12 points. He made his first four shots from long distance on Wednesday and finished 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Both teams had been inactive for a long stretch.
Syracuse played for the first time since Dec. 19. Due to COVID-19, Orange games against Notre Dame, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Florida State were all postponed.
The Panthers played for the first time since Dec. 22 due to COVID postponements against Duke and Notre Dame.
Pitt had just nine scholarship players available. Leading scorer and rebounder Justin Champagnie is out due to a knee injury, and reserves Noah Collier, Nike Sibande and John Hugley missed the game due to coronavirus protocol.
The Orange were without two players: Frank Anselem (coronavirus protocol) and Bourama Sidibe (knee).
Syracuse got off to an 11-0 start, forcing a Pitt timeout. The Panthers made the game's next shot as Horton banked in a 3-pointer to end Pitt's drought with 17:08 left in the first half.
The Orange had a 32-18 halftime lead. The Panthers shot just 21.4 percent from the floor in the first half, including 1-for-12 on 3-pointers (8.3 percent).
Pitt started the second half on an 8-0 run and cut its deficit to 35-31.
Toney's tip-in capped Pitt's rally, and Syracuse's Marek Dolezaj followed that with a turnover on an errant pass.
Syracuse quickly fouled, and Pitt's Xavier Johnson made two free throws with two seconds left for the final margin.
Pitt finished the game with a 42-29 rebounding edge, including 15-7 on the offensive boards.
--Field Level Media