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For the second straight season, Ohio State basketball lost in buzzer-beating fashion to Pitt.
Panther guard Damarco Minor hit a shot from Pitt's half-court logo as time expired to hand Ohio State its first loss of the 2025-26 season.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 24 | 42 | 66 |
| PITT | 34 | 33 | 67 |
Minor paced the Panthers alongside forward Cameron Corhen and guard Barry Dunning Jr., each scoring 18 points. The Panthers dominated the Buckeyes on the offensive glass, securing 16 offensive rebounds to Ohio State's six.
Devin Royal led the way in a losing effort for the Buckeyes, scoring 22 points while Bruce Thornton added 18. Star guard John Mobley Jr. went down with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return to the game. Turnovers also hurt Ohio State, with 13 to Pitt's five.
Pitt (5-3) jumped on the Buckeyes (6-1) early. Two 7-0 runs sparked by Minor raced the Panthers out to a 16-4 lead just more than five minutes into the ballgame, with Ohio State starting 2-of-7 from the field and struggling to find its offense. The Buckeyes’ only sustained offense of the first half came in the next 3:17 of game action.
John Mobley Jr. splashed a 3-pointer to start a string of three quick makes from distance for the Buckeyes, with freshman forward Amare Bynum and Devin Royal tacking on triples. Buckeye center Ivan Njegovan hit a nice baby hook over two defenders to cap an 11-0 run that brought Ohio State back within a point, 16-15.
But turnovers and poor defensive rebounding were the main storylines of the first half for the Buckeyes. They gave the ball away eight times and allowed 10 offensive rebounds in that half alone, giving Pitt a 40-26 advantage on field goal attempts. Turnovers fueled a 9-0 Panthers run that surged the lead right back to double digits as Ohio State went five minutes without a basket.
After some light scoring exchanges, the Buckeyes felt fortunate to enter halftime trailing just 34-24. But someone lit a fire under Royal in the locker room.
He got to the rack twice for layups to catalyze a 6-0 run to start the second half, then drained a 3-pointer to slice the lead back to 39-35. Pitt guard Omari Witherspoon converted an old-fashioned 3-point play, but Royal capped another 7-0 stretch for Ohio State with his third triple of the game.
Royal had some help elsewhere, with Bruce Thornton splitting two defenders for a diving layup to knot the contest at 44. Cohen finished a layup through a foul for Pitt as both teams struggled to score, but a quartet of free throws by Ohio State center Christoph Tilly and guard Gabe Cupps granted the Buckeyes their first lead of the ballgame at 48-47 with 8:41 to play.
Pitt grabbed it back with a layup, Thornton answered with a layup through the foul, then flexed and shouted into the ESPN camera located behind the baseline. Pitt came scratching back, slicing it to a 58-57 contest with 3:26 to play. Royal had two big baskets in the paint, but a trio of Panther free throws tied the game again at 64 as the clock ticked down under 90 seconds.
Thornton fought his way into the paint to cash in a floater. Corhen hit two free throws to tie the game at 64. Bynum put back a miss to make it 66-64 Ohio State with under four seconds remaining, but Minor's game-winner followed.
It's the second consecutive year Pitt has beaten the Buckeyes on a buzzer-beater after Panther forward Zack Austin drained his own last-second 3-pointer in overtime on Nov. 29, 2024, for a 91-90 win.
Ohio State’s first road trip of the season continues with its Big Ten opener at Northwestern on Dec. 6. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
