National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 85, Notre Dame 81
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Officials: # Mike Eades, # Brian Dorsey, # Mike Roberts
Attendance: 9149


Pittsburgh 85, Notre Dame 81 (OT): Lamar Patterson scored 20 points and hit a pair of critical late free throws as the visiting Panthers ended their five-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish.

Patterson added seven rebounds and seven assists while Talib Zanna collected 17 points and 14 rebounds – including 10 on the offensive end – for Pittsburgh (22-7, 10-6 ACC). Cameron Wright contributed 15 points and Michael Young had 13 as the Panthers improved to 3-0 in overtime contests.

Pat Connaughton paced Notre Dame (15-15, 6-11) with 19 points but was limited offensively after suffering an ankle injury midway through the second half. Eric Atkins finished with 17 points and nine assists while Steve Vasturia tallied 12 of his 15 points in overtime for the Irish, who matched the most losses they have suffered in a season during the 14-year tenure of coach Mike Brey.

Connaughton scored 17 points in a first half in which Notre Dame shot 73.7 percent, but Pittsburgh used 12 offensive rebounds and a 13-0 edge in second-chance points to cut a 12-point deficit to four by intermission. Patterson’s three-point play and Josh Newkirk’s 3-pointer keyed a 6-0 burst that allowed Pittsburgh to pull ahead 63-56 with 6:24 left before going scoreless for the next five minutes.

The Irish rallied with nine of the next 11 points, knotting it up at 65 on a 3-pointer by V.J. Beachem with 7.7 seconds remaining to send it into overtime. Vasturia carried the Irish’s offense in the extra period and Austin Burgett drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left with a chance to tie it, but missed the last of his three free throws while Zanna, Young and Patterson each hit two foul shots in the last 10 seconds to seal it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Patterson had a chance to end the game in regulation, but Panthers coach Jamie Dixon called a timeout just as Patterson appeared to get a step on Vasturia for a potential game-winning layup with less than three seconds left. James Robinson’s long jumper following the timeout hit off the front rim. … Notre Dame missed fewer shots (five) than it committed turnovers (seven) in the first half. … Patterson’s seven assists gave him 403 for his career, allowing him to become the third player in school history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

Top Game Performances
 
Pittsburgh   Notre Dame
Lamar Patterson 20 Scoring Pat Connaughton 19
Lamar Patterson 7 Assists Eric Atkins 9
Talib Zanna 14 Rebounds Steve Vasturia 6
Lamar Patterson 7 Free Throws Made Steve Vasturia 6
Cameron Wright 3 Steals Steve Vasturia 3
Michael Young 1 Blocks Eric Atkins 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Pittsburgh 85 43.1 5-15 24-28 15 37 1 9 9
Notre Dame 81 54.8 12-23 23-27 14 21 1 8 16