Syracuse was 4.4 seconds away from losing its perfect record, but a buzzer-beater from far beyond the three-point arc instead sank Pittburgh’s hopes of an upset.
The last-second shot from Tyler Ennis came from 35 feet away, a running three-pointer that handed the Orange a 58-56 victory over No. 25 Pitt on Wednesday night. At 24-0, Syracuse is now one of two unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, joining Wichita State.
In the closing minutes, it looked as if Pitt were poised to pull off the upset in front of a raucous home crowd. The Orange trailed by six points with close to two minutes remaining, but climbed back and took a 55-54 lead with under a minute left in the game.
Talib Zanna, who led Pitt with 16 points and 14 rebounds, made two free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining to take a 56-55 lead.
Syracuse then called a timeout and designed a play to Ennis. He caught the ball in the backcourt and dribbled to just outside the three-point arc, launching a running shot between two Pitt defenders that hit nothing but net.
The game was hard fought but low scoring throughout, with Pitt taking a 27-24 lead into halftime. After Syracuse’s Trevor Cooney hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 45, Pitt went on a mini-rally to take a 52-48 lead.
The game was Pitt’s first loss at home against a top five team in the 12-year history of their arena, Petersen Events Center. Known as a difficult place for opposing teams to play, the arena played host to a perfect 9-0 record for the Panthers.
Syracuse will look to keep its unbeaten record when it takes on N.C. State on Saturday.
