Faced with a series of challenges – difficult opponents, unfamiliar venues and the loss of starting player Damian Dunn – Pitt cruised to a 91-90 victory in dramatic fashion on Friday, shocking Ohio State when Zack Austin hit a deep 3-pointer with less than 10 points. Half a second left on the overtime clock.

The road win at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, against a power conference team could benefit the Panthers (7-1) in March when invitations to the NCAA Tournament are sent out.

The game was Pitt’s third straight against a power conference school after it defeated LSU and played Wisconsin at the Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs W.Va. had lost.

Ishmael Leggett posted a double-double for Pitt (21 points and 10 rebounds), but Jaland Lowe scored a career-high 28 points. Zack Austin added 16 with five 3-pointers and Papa Kante 12, with both players coming off the bench. Leggett and Kante were fouled in overtime.

Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 24.

Ohio State (6-1) made just one field goal in overtime but made 10 of 14 free throws. Pitt trailed 89-85, but Lowe was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, and he hit all three free throws to cut the lead to one. After Ohio State’s Devin Royal missed one of two free throws, Pitt regained possession and Austin scored on an assist from Lowe.

Ohio State’s largest lead was 53-41 with 18 minutes, 24 seconds left in the second half before the Panthers went on a 20-4 run, built largely on five steals, seven turnovers by Ohio State and strong play from Ohio State Kante, a redshirt freshman, was based.

Kante hit a traditional three-point play — a basket and a free throw — to give Pitt a 61-57 lead with 10:53 left. Kante scored seven points in three minutes to lead the rally. Leggett added six points, Austin added a 3-pointer and Lowe added a two-pointer to help Pitt retake the lead.

Pitt took a 63-58 lead with 8:44 to play, but Ohio State struck back just 1:35 later to take a 64-63 lead. The lead continued to change as Austin hit a 3-pointer at 6:02, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton responded with a 3 of his own and the Buckeyes took a 67-66 lead heading into the final five minutes.

Ohio State remained in the lead, but Austin’s fourth 3-pointer of the game cut the lead to 77-75 with 1:21 left, and Lowe’s one-handed layup with 25.8 seconds left broke and forced a 77-77 tie Extension.

The Buckeyes had scored 104 and 102 points in their previous games, and they continued that efficiency and productivity in the first half, taking a 48-39 lead into halftime.

In fact, both teams found holes in each other’s defenses. Pitt shot 56% (14 of 25) in the first half, while Ohio State shot almost 69% (20 of 29). Two Buckeyes – Thornton (11 points) and Devin Royal (10) – finished the half in double figures. Ohio State entered the game ranked fourth nationally in 3-point percentage (43.4, 66 of 152) and shot 6 of 9 in the first half.

Lowe, who missed three minutes because he was poked in the eye, scored 12 points in the first 20 minutes and Leggett added nine points.

The lead changed six times in the first seven minutes, but Ohio State pulled away with a 16-5 run and stayed ahead the rest of the first half.

Pitt started slowly but had more free throws (six) than field goals (five) until Brandin Cummings came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer with 8:21 left in the half.