Zavackas’ clutch shooting helps Pitt advance

It’s not too often that one errant pass changes the outcome of an entire basketball game…. It’s not too often that one errant pass changes the outcome of an entire basketball game.

But on Thursday, Providence found out the hard way that every mistake can come back to hurt you.

A bad pass that led to an over and back call against the Friars gave Pitt the ball with just less than five minutes remaining and Providence up, 51-49.

On the ensuing possession, Brandin Knight drove to the basket and scooped in a layup to tie the game at 51.

The defense held Providence on its next trip down the court and Julius Page responded with a basket of his own to give the Panthers the lead.

After a foul on Providence’s Shieku Kabba, Donatas Zavackas nailed his third three-pointer of the game giving Pitt a five-point lead with 3 1/2 minutes to play.

“We’ve got confident kids,” associate head coach Jamie Dixon said about the Panthers’ ability to overcome Providence’s lead. “Nothing seems to faze them and that’s probably one of our strengths. When things go bad, we don’t seem to get flustered.”

Donnie McGrath missed a three on the other end for the Friars and Knight brought Pitt back down the court.

After getting fouled by Rob Sanders, Knight, who missed his last five free throws against Villanova, made both of his free throws to put the Panthers up by seven, finishing off a 9-0 Pitt run.

In a matter of two minutes, Pitt had turned the tides on the Friars, making a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

“You’re not going to see many blowouts at this point,” Dixon said. “It’s good to see guys step up at the end of the game.”

One of those guys who stepped up was Zavackas, who scored all of his 16 points in the second half.

“Donatas stepped up big and made some shots in the second half,” Knight said.

With 13 minutes left, Zavackas put Pitt ahead 43-41 with an old-fashioned three-point play, putting back a rebound and converting the free throw after being fouled by Maris Laksa.

Zavackas also chipped in with his defense on Ryan Gomes.

Gomes, who averages 18.7 points a game, had just four points in the first half and, despite picking up 16 points for the game, had a hard time getting shots off.

“Zavackas did a great job defensively,” Dixon said. “He was the guy mainly assigned to Gomes and [Gomes] had to earn every basket he got. Donatas had a big second half against the zone when we needed some shooting.”

For the third year in a row, the Panthers have advanced to the conference semifinals.

Also for the third straight season, Pitt will face Boston College, who defeated St. John’s, 82-75 in overtime in the second round.

“They’ve got two great players and a lot of good ones,” Dixon said. “Craig Smith is similar to Gomes and they have the added asset of having Troy Bell on the perimeter.”

Against the Red Storm, Smith muscled his way inside for 33 points, including 10 in overtime, while Bell, who was named Big East Player of the Year earlier this week, added 18.

“We need to limit their touches and if they do [get touches], make sure they are away from the basket,” Dixon said.