Pitt comes close, but suffers another loss, 67-66 to North Carolina

In what will be many painful moments of reflection while dissecting a 67-66 loss to North Carolina, Pitt’s players and coaches will see why they deserved to lose a game in which they squandered a real chance to win.

The result was Pitt’s seventh loss in the past nine games Saturday while they continue to slip off the NCAA Tournament bubble, probably needing a long winning streak to climb back on it. Among those seven defeats are a descending order of four close decisions — four points (Louisville), three (Clemson), two (Wake Forest) and one (North Carolina) — that will add to Pitt’s frustration. Three of the four turned into wasted Quad 1 opportunities.

The game was fiercely contested at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., with the Panthers surrounded by a sea of blue in a crowd of 21,750 and a Tar Heels team (14-10, 7-5 ACC) equally desperate for a victory.

Pitt’s largest lead was 3-0 in the game’s first 27 seconds and midway through the second half, but the Panthers couldn’t get it any higher than that. Pitt (14-9, 5-7) battled back from an 11-point deficit in the first half but couldn’t secure that one basket, rebound or loose ball that might have reversed the outcome. Plus, North Carolina kept handing out charity in the form of back-to-back missed free throws by Ven-Allen Lubin and Seth Trimble in the final 20 seconds.

Worse, senior guard Damian Dunn suffered a fractured elbow in the second half, according to coach Jeff Capel, and did not return.

In a game with 13 lead changes and 11 ties, Pitt failed to accept North Carolina’s gifts, but its failures started long before that, first by not scoring in the final 2 minutes, 3 seconds. Jaland Lowe’s basket at that point was Pitt’s last, but it gave the Panthers a 66-65 lead. Then, a big defensive rebound by Ishmael Leggett handed Pitt possession of the ball and a lead.

But Drake Powell deflected a pass from Guillermo Diaz Graham into the hands of All-American guard RJ Davis, whose basket with 52 seconds to play — and only two seconds on the shot clock — set the final margin.

After that, Pitt had several chances, but Lowe missed two jumpers — one that he hurried after grabbing an offensive rebound — and then he fouled out for the first time this season.

That led to UNC’s missed free throws, but with 13 seconds left and Lowe and Dunn out of the game, Pitt couldn’t execute a clean inbounds pass at midcourt, the basketball eventually rolling out of bounds in the backcourt. Pitt retained possession, but with most of the floor to navigate in only 7 seconds. Leggett reached the paint, but his off-balance shot hit the front rim and bounced away.

Game over.

“We needed one or two more stops and one or two more plays made on the offensive end,” associate head coach Milan Brown said on the 93.7 FM postgame show. “It just didn’t turn out our way. Always tough on the road, but that’s why you have to make as many plays as possible when you’re not in the comfort of your own home. One more defensive rebound, one less turnover.”

Davis led the Tar Heels with 18 points, and Lubin and Trimble added 17 and 15, respectively. Lubin scored 11 in the first half, helping North Carolina to a 30-19 lead at one point. Cam Corhen led Pitt with 17 and Lowe scored 15, but Leggett managed only nine on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Panthers’ frustration level will increase when they see they hit 8 of 17 3-point shots, committed only three turnovers in the second half and out-rebounded North Carolina, 33-27, and still lost.

“Similar situation to home games with Clemson and Louisville,” Brown said. “You’re playing good teams, and you’re a good team. It’s just a matter of making enough winning plays. We came up a play or two short. It’s tough to come in this building and win (although Pitt had won its previous three there). Proud of the effort, but we’re very frustrated. We have to get over it because we have another good team coming up here in a couple days.”

That will be SMU on Tuesday night. Pitt will travel directly from Chapel Hill to Dallas to play the Mustangs (18-5, 9-3).

“At the end of the day,” Brown said, “we have to find a way to make sure we get back on the other side where we’re making those plays like we were earlier.”