Iowa forward Tyler Cook missed two foul shots with ten seconds left, and Pitt freshman guard Trey McGowens drove the length of the court and missed a layup, a subsequent rebound sailed into the hands of Sidy N’dir, but his shot went long and Iowa escaped with a 69-68 victory over Pitt in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The game’s dramatic sequence started before the last shot attempts by Pitt. Iowa’s Connor McCaffrey’s 3-pointer went off the mark, and Cook pulled down the offensive rebound. On the offensive rebound, Xavier Johnson was whistled for a foul, and a scuffle caused the referees to check the monitor for a potential flagrant on Cook or a Pitt player, but they deemed the play to be clean on both sides.
In any event, Pitt was handed its first loss of the season dropping the overall record to 6-1 on the year. The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 6-0 with the win. The Panthers now fall to 2-3 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.
The game started on a positive note for the Panthers, however. Senior Jared Wilson-Frame found himself on the bench with two early fouls, and the Pitt freshmen made an impact in his absence with Johnson, McGowens, and Au’Diese Toney combining for 26 first half points.
Pitt built a some separation in the closing minutes of the first half, and held a 46-40 lead at halftime. The pace was suited to Pitt’s quicker guards, but Iowa was able to keep up with some hot 3-point shooting. Iowa finished with 12 makes from behind the arc in the game.
Out of the halftime break, the veteran Hawkeyes set the tone. Iowa clamped down on Pitt’s driving guards and the Panthers were forced to play a half-court game that appeared to suit Iowa more. Wilson-Frame came to life in the second half, however, to keep the Panthers afloat while the offense struggled. He went on a quick 7-0 spurt himself, as the freshmen struggled to adjust to the new pace.
In all, Johnson finished with 18 points and six assists, but he committed six turnovers and ended up fouling out in the final sequence of the game. McGowens was Pitt’s only other player in double-figures with 10, but all of his scoring came in the first half.
In a bit of a surprise, Pitt out-rebounded the much bigger Hawkeyes 30-26. The talk heading into this one was about Iowa’s big men: Luka Garza and Cook. Garza finished with 5 points, and Cook added 9, both below their season average of 16. It was Joe Wieskamp to lead Iowa, as he finished with 18 points.
Pitt was vying for its first win over a ranked team since February 18, 2017 when the Panthers knocked off No. 17 Florida State behind 29 points from Sheldon Jeter. Pitt will return to action on Friday against cross-town rival Duquesne in the annual City Game that is set to tip-off at 7:00 at PPG Paints Arena.
