[dropcap]H[/dropcap]eartbreak and the Pittsburgh Panthers are certainly not mutually exclusive for Oakland fans.
The Panthers again got the better of the Golden Grizzlies, winning 81-77 in overtime at the Petersen Events Center despite a vastly improved effort from the blowout defeat for Oakland at the hands of Arizona in their last outing.
Cameron Wright made a floater off the glass with 3:22 to go in overtime, putting Pitt ahead permanently in a game that featured 23 lead changes. The Panthers senior guard looked as if he’d extend the lead at the free-throw line after a questionable foul called against Oakland, but the visitors were vindicated when Wright missed both his attempts. Tommie McCune hit his second and third free throws of the extra period to answer an inside basket by Michael Young, putting Pitt’s lead back at just one with 39 seconds left.
James Robinson, who made the first free throws of the game for either side over 13 minutes into the first half, knocked down a pair to put Pitt back up by three, but point guardKahlil Felder ended Oakland’s drought of 10 consecutive missed shots by going glass in the paint to shrink the Panthers’ lead back to one with just under 22 seconds left. The visitors almost created a turnover with pressure on the following in-bounds effort, but Wright was able to call a timeout from the floor to preserve possession.
McCune fouled Chris Jones with 15 seconds left to make it a three-point affair, but guard Max Hooper’s attempt to send the game into a second overtime with four seconds on the clock was well-guarded by Young and hit iron.
Oakland utilized an 8-0 run in the early going to jump out to a lead, spacing the floor well as the Panthers were largely unable to keep Felder in check. It looked like Oakland might maintain the upper hand heading into the locker room, but the Panthers erased an eight-point deficit and took a one-point advantage into halftime after Michael Young connected on a long jumper with a second left to give his team their first lead in over nine minutes.
Felder, who was the subject of some adjustments by Pitt and committed several of his six turnovers in a lesser second half, still finished with a game-high 23 points and seven assists for the Golden Grizzlies (4-8).
Both teams battled back and forth as the second half wore on with Pitt (8-3) finding more success on the offensive end. The Golden Grizzlies were able to keep punching back in large part thanks to a breakout performance from forward Jalen Hayes, who started and provided a huge spark, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds.
Oakland proved able to edge away in the latter portion of the second half, withstanding full-court pressure when the Panthers applied it, but the home side were able to claw back. Hayes was unable to put the brakes on and committed an offensive foul to pick up his fifth with 3:32 remaining in the second half. Robinson was finally able to deadlock the game at 72 with 49 seconds left, and a traveling violation by Felder as he drove right to the basket gave Pitt a chance to win it in regulation, but Cameron Wright’s jumper from beyond the top of the elbow over Dante Williams fell short.
The Panthers had four starters who finished with 16 points or more, including a team-high 19 from Young. He and Robinson (18 points) made all of their combined 13 free throws.
Hooper added 12 points for Oakland, including a trio of 3-pointers. Corey Petros and Dante Williams each chipped in eight points, also.
Pitt’s 72-62 overtime victory over Oakland in 2012 was marked by a 14-point halftime comeback, the largest in Panthers’ history.
The Golden Grizzlies return to action Monday night at Clemson at 7 p.m. ET, and can be watched on ESPN3.
