PITTSBURGH _ It took overtime, it took two 3-pointers from a 32-percent shooter, and it took overcoming 11 missed free throws, but Pitt pulled out its best victory yet under Kevin Stallings.
Jamel Artis scored 24 points, Michael Young added 19 and Sheldon Jeter had 16 with two huge 3-pointers in overtime as Pitt pulled away to upset No. 11 Virginia, 88-76, Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers had been 0-4 against coach Tony Bennett's suffocating Cavaliers over the last three seasons.
Pitt (12-3, 1-1 ACC) had all but won it in regulation, until Virginia (11-3, 1-2) tied it on a pull-up 3-pointer by point guard London Perrantes with 2.4 seconds left. Young's desperation turnaround jumper as time expired clanked off the front of the rim, but it was nothing but net to start the extra frame.
Jeter, who entered the game shooting 32.1 percent from beyond the arc, drilled a 3-pointer on the opening possession and another about a minute later to give the Panthers a 76-70 lead with 3:25 left. Then it was Artis' turn to step up _ again, after making two clutch 3s down the stretch of the second half _ and he hit from long range to make it 79-70.
One of the best defensive teams in Division I again this year, Virginia entered the game leading the nation in scoring defense at 48.6 points per game and had held five opponents under 45. But the Panthers benefited from some timely outside shooting throughout, even as they finished 15 of 26 from the free-throw line.
Pitt was in control for much of the second half, but Virginia turned it into a back-and-forth affair not unlike Saturday's game against Notre Dame. The Cavaliers went ahead, 56-55, on a strong drive and layup by Marial Shayok for their first lead since it was 16-15 at 10:42 of the first half, and then 58-55 on a bucket by Darius Thompson.
That's when Artis hit a contested 3 with 6:06 left, and after an answer from Virginia's Davon Hall beyond the arc and two free throws by Young, Artis drilled one from downtown again to put Pitt ahead, 63-61, with 4:39 to go.
The Panthers never lost the lead again until the final seconds, as Young found Ryan Luther with a nifty pass on the baseline, and Luther slammed it home to send the crowd into a frenzy. After a three-point play by the Cavaliers, Luther tipped in a miss, then blocked a layup attempt at the other end to another round of fever-pitch cheers with Pitt ahead by three.
At that point, it appeared the Panthers would be able to close it out, but it was anything but easy.
The Panthers led at halftime, 35-32, despite going without a made field goal for the final 3:34 of the first 20 minutes. They hit the boards hard, taking a 21-8 rebounding edge into the locker room, including an 8-1 advantage on the offensive glass. Offense also came surprisingly easy at times against Virginia's staunch defense, as the Panthers shot 50 percent in the first half and 44.4 from 3-point range.
That hot shooting helped Pitt jump out to a promising start that could've been even better if not for some early free-throw woes. The Panthers used a 7-0 run to take a 15-8 lead under the 13-minute mark, but were just 1 of 5 from the free-throw line at that point. That would be Pitt's largest lead of the half. Virginia responded with an 8-0 run, but Pitt went back in front on a dunk by Young and never trailed again until the second half.
Cameron Johnson also scored 16 points for the Panthers, including four 3-pointers.
