Panthers lose in overtime

Apparently nobody told Pitt or Marquette that it’s not March yet.

In what felt like a… Apparently nobody told Pitt or Marquette that it’s not March yet.

In what felt like a classic postseason battle, yesterday’s game between the Panthers and the Golden Eagles wasn’t decided until less than a second remained in overtime when Marquette’s Dominic James drove to the left, went up and was fouled. James then hit two free throws with .9 seconds left in the extra period to give the Golden Eagles (17-4, 4-2 Big East) a 77-74 victory over No. 6 Pitt (17-3, 5-1).

“Me and [teammate Jerel McNeal] were talking before [the free throws] and all we said was ‘ice water,'” James said. “Big players make big plays, and I just had to knock them down.”

Marquette knocked down free throws and Pitt didn’t, which was definitely a deciding factor in overtime and in the entire game. Marquette was 10-of-10 from the line in overtime while the Panthers were just three-of-six.

The game was the latest in what is shaping up to be one of the Big East’s grittiest rivalries. Pitt and Marquette, although only conference opponents since last year, split last year’s decisions, each team winning classics at home. The all-time series between the two teams now stands at 4-3 in favor of Marquette.

The Golden Eagles have now won two in a row against the Panthers dating back to last season. Marquette head coach Tom Crean is now 3-1 against Pitt since taking over as head coach.

“They have a great team,” Crean said afterwards. “They all know what they have to do. And that’s why it’s such a sweet win for us. If you can match up with a team that good, then we have to be happy.”

Neither coach was happy, however, with the way his team started the game. A wild first half saw the Golden Eagles with a five-point lead, James leading the way. James scored 14 of Marquette’s first 24 points, 12 of which came from 3-pointers. The 5-11 guard led all scorers with 23 points, none of which were as important as those two final free throws to put Marquette up by one.

Center Aaron Gray, working on Marquette center Ousmane Barro, scored eight of Pitt’s first 10 points, all of which came in the paint. But that would be just about as effective as Gray would be on the day, ending up with 16 total points and nine rebounds and going a dismal two-of-eight from the free throw line.

Marquette locked down, though, and started to take Gray out of the game, a move that Ramon, who led five Pitt scorers in double figures with 21 points, took advantage of.

“We were trying to get him the ball, but they were double-teaming him, so we had some other guys step up,” Ramon said.

The 7-footer’s effect on the game is noticeable, even when he isn’t in it. When Dixon subbed out Gray for only a minute in the first half, Marquette scored four points of an eventual 11-0 run to put the Golden Eagles up 18-10. While the Panthers visibly struggled on offense, Marquette exposed the Panther defense that nearly crumbled without its keystone.

“Gray played very well, considering the circumstances, rebounding and knocking down shots,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “We just needed to be better in the first half and part of the second.”

Marquette continued to build its lead throughout the waning minutes of the first half, capitalizing when Pitt looked out of sync. A series of turnovers, personal fouls and a technical foul called on Dixon around the six-minute mark threw the Panthers out of whack, and the sold-out Petersen Events Center resonated with boos and several fans threw objects onto the court.

But just before the half, the crowd calmed down and so did Pitt, taking care of the ball and getting much needed outside shooting from Ramon to head into the break 32-27.

However, the carelessness that Pitt exhibited in the middle of the first half resurfaced in the Panthers around the 14-minute mark, and Marquette quickly regained a solid 10-point lead.

Ramon, however, led Pitt back into it, and the teams battled back and forth throughout the remaining possessions. Marquette’s Dan Fitzgerald hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Golden Eagles up by nine. Ramon responded with a steal and then a 3-pointer of his own. Ramon all but carried the Panthers on his back during the waning seconds in regulation, hitting two clutch free throws with 3.5 seconds left to push the game to overtime.

“He’s been good all year,” Dixon said of Ramon. “He’s a great kid and a great shooter. He knocked those big free throws, it’s not an easy thing to do, but we were proud of him for doing that.”

“Anybody would want to be on the spot like that,” Ramon said.

And James found himself in that same spot after Pitt turned the ball over with a one-point lead and less than a minute to play in overtime, and he won it despite a little improvising.

“They did a great job of guarding the play we had called, but I got him in the air and got to the foul line,” James said. “I was just playing the game the way the referees were calling it.”

“Pitt, they’re a great team that can win in all fashions,” James said. “To win in their house gives us a lot of confidence.”