DAYTON, Ohio — It was the ultimate spherical of a 40-minute combat.

Pitt and Mississippi State had been locked in an air-tight battle within the First 4 on Tuesday night time, and with lower than ten seconds to go, the Panthers had the ball within the palms of their chief: Jamarius Burton.

One Panther was going to take the shot, and each Pitt fan in attendance knew who.

Burton delivered.

The graduate senior hit his signature mid-range jumper, giving Pitt again the lead, 60-59, with 10 seconds left. On the subsequent Mississippi State possession, Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz-Graham swatted away a Tolu Smith try on the rim with three seconds to go in triumphant style. After one final cease within the ultimate three, Pitt gained the battle, 60-59.

Pitt had superior to the spherical of 64 within the NCAA Match for the primary time since 2016 on the heels of the most important shot of Burton’s profession and the most important block of Diaz-Graham’s.

From the beginning, this one was a back-and-forth battle by which neither crew might draw back.

Mississippi State — who entered the sport because the worst three-point capturing crew within the nation — got here out of the gates on hearth, hitting 4 of its first 5 three-point makes an attempt whereas the Panthers centered their defensive efforts on the large man Smith.

Pitt absorbed the Bulldogs’ early punches and answered with a scorching stretch of its personal, happening a 10-0 run whereas Mississippi State missed eight straight area targets. All through the remainder of the half, the 2 groups battled as six gamers scored for every crew within the body.

Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 9 factors within the first, adopted by Greg Elliott with eight and Nike Sibande with six. Regardless of Mississippi State’s early scorching streak, the Panthers shot the higher proportion from deep within the first, hitting eight of their 13 tries whereas Mississippi State hit simply one among its final ten three-point makes an attempt.

Inside, the Bulldogs continued to bully Pitt on the glass as anticipated. The Panthers — with out massive man Federiko Federiko (knee) — misplaced the board battle 27-13 within the first half. DJ Jeffries grabbed eight early rebounds for the Bulldogs, whereas the crew’s main rebounder on the 12 months Smith grabbed six. On the half, Pitt led 35-34.

Whereas Pitt seemed to Cummings and Sibande for offensive manufacturing within the neck-and-neck battle, Burton rode the bench — including his second foul early within the first half and choosing up his third early within the latter half.

Burton checked again in with simply over 13 minutes to go within the second, however lower than one minute later., picked up his fourth. The Bulldogs had neutralized Burton, and the Panthers Smith.

Pitt regained the lead within the back-and-forth affair on a transition layup by Sibande with seven-and-a-half to go. Mississippi State, nonetheless, countered proper again with yet one more good jumper off the palms of Shakeel Moore.

For the Panthers, Nelly Cummings completed because the crew’s main scorer with 15, whereas Greg Elliott added 13 and Blake Hinson added 12 factors.

With the win, No. 11 Pitt improves to 23-11 on the 12 months and advances to play Iowa State within the Spherical of 64 in Greensboro on Friday, March 17 at 3 p.m. on Tru TV.

The Panthers haven’t gained a primary spherical sport within the NCAA Match for the reason that 2013-14 season.