University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
9-12,2-6ACC
Wake Forest
11-10,2-6ACC
Witherspoon’s Clutch Overtime Performance Lifts Pitt Past Wake Forest, 80-76
1/27/2026 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Freshman guard Omari Witherspoon drilled a step back baseline jumper with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Pitt (9-12, 2-6 ACC) to an 80-76 victory over Wake Forest (11-10, 2-6 ACC) Monday night at the Petersen Events Center in the 3,000th game in program history.
Witherspoon's go-ahead bucket capped a wild overtime period that featured six lead changes, and it came after Wake Forest had taken a 76-74 advantage on a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining. After grabbing a defensive rebound off a missed Wake Forest three-pointer, Witherspoon was fouled with 6.7 seconds left and calmly sank both free throws to push the lead to 79-76. Roman Siulepa then picked off the inbound pass and Barry Dunning, Jr. was fouled, hitting 1-of-2 from the line to seal the victory.
The win snapped Pitt's three-game losing skid and gave the Panthers their first ACC home victory of the season. The game also doubled as Pitt's annual Coaches vs. Cancer contest.
Siulepa delivered another dominant performance on the glass, posting his third consecutive double-double with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. Dunning also finished with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, while Witherspoon tallied 13 points, four assists and two blocks. Brandin Cummings added 13 points, connecting on three triples, including a crucial wing three in overtime that gave Pitt a momentary 74-73 lead.
Pitt trailed for 37 minutes and 16 seconds of game time, but the Panthers never stopped battling. Wake Forest raced out to a 7-0 lead and built its advantage to as many as 12 points (23-11) in the first half. Siulepa kept Pitt within striking distance, posting 10 points and eight rebounds before the break, including six offensive boards.
Down 36-30 at halftime, Pitt opened the second half on a 5-0 run as Cummings hit a three-pointer and Dunning threw down a dunk to pull within one. The Panthers continued to battle and eventually grabbed their largest lead of the game at 55-50 on a Nojus Indrusaitis three-pointer with 10:29 remaining, capping a stretch of four consecutive made field goals. Indrusaitis finished with eight points, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Wake Forest battled back to take a 66-62 lead with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. Dunning answered with a driving layup to make it 66-64, followed by a Siulepa steal and thunderous dunk to tie the game at 66-66 with 1:02 remaining.
Witherspoon's three-point attempt with 17 seconds left came up short, but he came up with a critical block on Wake Forest's final shot attempt to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Siulepa opened Pitt's scoring with a three-pointer to give Pitt a 69-68 edge. Dunning pushed the lead to 71-68 with a pair of free throws before Wake Forest rallied to take a 76-74 lead. That set the stage for Witherspoon's heroics in the final 90 seconds.
Pitt finished with a 42-37 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards, that led to 20 second-chance points. The Panthers also converted Wake Forest's 13 turnovers into 17 points.
Cameron Corhen contributed eight points, five rebounds and three steals, while Macari Moore provided a spark off the bench with five points, including a corner three and a transition layup that gave Pitt a 49-48 lead midway through the second half. Pitt's bench outscored Wake Forest's reserves, 26-16.
With the victory, Pitt improves to 55-2 under head coach Jeff Capel when scoring 80 or more points.
Pitt returns to action Saturday as the Panthers travel to South Carolina to face No. 22/19 Clemson. Tip-off is set for noon on the ACC Network.
