The men's basketball team defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers, 73-66, Sunday at the Prudential Center.
The Pirates (17-8, 6-7 Big East) trailed by 5 with just over six minutes remaining, but a steal and lay-up by freshman guard Aaron Cosby cut the lead to two.
On the next Pirate possession, with one second remaining on the shot clock, senior guard Jordan Theodore hit a 3-pointer while falling down to give the Pirates a 62-61 lead.
Freshman guard Haralds Karlis hit a 3-pointer of his own to finish off a 10-0 Pirate run.
The run was without sophomore forward Fuquan Edwin, who fouled out with 6:40 remaining. Head coach Kevin Willard said he was concerned.
"I'll be honest, I was a little nervous when that happened," Willard said. "[Edwin] has been playing at such a high level."
The defense, however stepped up despite losing one of the nation's leaders in steals.
According to freshman forward Brandon Mobley, Edwin's defense is important to the team's success.
"We thrive on [Edwin's] defense," Mobley said. "We know when he got out of the game we had to make our own stops."
Pitt's last field goal came with 4:01 remaining.
With 28.6 seconds remaining, a high pick-and-roll enabled senior forward Herb Pope to drain a lay-up off an assist from Theodore.
After a stop on defense, Pope drew an intentional foul from Pitt forward Nasir Robinson with 10.7 seconds remaining and received two free-throws.
Pope said the win was a momentum builder for the team
"Its monumental because it puts us at 6-7, right in the middle of the pack," Pope said.
Pope recorded his thirteenth double-double of the year, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, including a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.
Cosby scored a career-high 19 points, with five made three pointers. Cosby said Pitt's defense was the reason for his successful shooting.
"Pitt let me open a few times," Cosby said. "I had to make them pay."
As a team, the Pirates shot 44 percent from beyond the arc, while holding the Panthers to just 32 percent.
The Pirates also dominated the paint, holding a 28-14 points in the paint advantage.
