Ohio State basketball loses heartbreaker at buzzer sat Pittsburgh

It was so nice, the Pittsburgh Panthers decided to do it twice, apparently. Pitt beat Ohio State inside Value City Arena about a year ago on a buzzer beater, and that same drama unfolded on their home floor Friday night in a 67-66 nailbiter.

To be fair, if Ohio State had put a complete 40 minutes together, Pitt would have never had a chance to sink the spirits of the Buckeyes. OSU looked lethargic, careless, and tentative throughout the first half, going down by double figures on more than one occasion. The Panthers used a physical brand of basketball to get to loose balls, rebounds, and 50/50 balls.

OSU seemed to be reeling at the half when it headed to the locker room down 34-24.

In the second half, though, it was a different story. The Buckeyes started taking better shots, got after the offensive and defensive boards more, and as a result reeled things in and eventually grabbed the lead back midway through the second half. The defensive effort was much better as well, and if anything, it's something to build on.

It was a nip-and-tuck affair from about the 12-minute mark through the end of the game, with the lead never getting beyond five points for Ohio State. The drama was set up with just 34 seconds left when the score was tied at 64 points each. It looked like the Buckeyes were going to scrap and claw their way to a victory when Amare Bynum tipped his own miss in to give OSU a 64-66 lead with just 3.7 seconds left.

But then, that's when the heartbreak occurred. Ohio State allowed the inbounds to Pitt guard Demarco Minor, who easily dribbled across half court and unleashed a deep three that found the bottom of the net as time expired for a 67-66 win.

Devin Royal was the star of the game for Ohio State, especially in the second half when he put the team on his back. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shots, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Bruce Thornton also chipped in 18 points to join Christoph Tilly (10 points) for the only three Ohio State players in double figures, in a game that was a rough and tumble one.

OSU loses its first game of the season and drops to 6-1 on the year. The Buckeyes will next be in action next Saturday for their first Big Ten game of the year at Northwestern.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State basketball gets clipped at buzzer by Pittsburgh