Carr lifts Pitt to 82-78 win over Mount St. Mary's in OT

PITTSBURGH -- Freshman point guard Marcus Carr had three chances to win the game for Pittsburgh in the Panthers' 82-78 overtime victory overt Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday.

He made a layup with 25 seconds left in regulation that put Pitt ahead, but the Mountaineers tied it with six seconds left on reserve forward Bobby Planutis' basket on an in-bounds play.

Carr got the ball back for a final attempt in regulation, but his 3-point shot sailed wide.

In overtime, Pitt shot just 1 of 5 from the floor, but it was Carr's trips to the free-throw line that proved crucial. He made five in overtime and his final two nailed down Pitt's victory with 10 seconds left to play.

"Coach (Kevin Stallings) does a good job of making sure we're prepared for those kinds of things," Carr said. "I knew I had the confidence in the rest of my teammates, now matter how old or young they were, to get the job done."

Carr's career-high points 23 led Pitt on an evening when leading scorer Ryan Luther had just four points.

"He was just making plays," said Mount St. Mary's senior guard Jordan Robinson, who played opposite Carr. "As a young guy, you don't really come in looking to make an impact. But when you do, you make a big one as a freshman."

Luther had 16 rebounds and helped Pitt (5-4) to a 43-27 advantage on the boards.

Robinson scored 24 points with nine assists for Mount St. Mary's (3-6) and Jonah Antonio added 14 points.

TURNING POINT

The Mountaineers hit seven straight 3-pointers to rally from a 15-point second-half deficit and take a late lead, spurred on by the hot shooting of senior guard Greg Alexander, who scored 17 points off the bench, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

But Alexander fouled out and the Mountaineers played the final 2:43 of regulation and all of overtime without their leading outside shooter.

FRESHMAN STANDOUT

Khameron Davis scored a career-high 12 points for Pitt on a perfect 5-for-5 night shooting, but Stallings was more complimentary of his defensive effort.

"His presence out there was really good from the defensive standpoint," Stallings said. "He can make open shots and he's becoming a better attacker of the goal, which is nice to see, too."

BIG PICTURE

Mount St. Mary's: Don't be fooled by the 3-6 record, the Mountaineers should still be expected to be contenders in the Northeast Conference. An aggressive non-conference schedule has seen Mount St. Mary's play Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Pitt on the road, which account for four of the Mountaineers' six losses.

"We're in a one-bid conference, so we've got the opportunity to play for something really special at the end of the year," head coach Jamion Christian said. "We've got to continue to stay locked in on improving."

Pittsburgh: Pitt (5-4) has now won four straight after losing four of their first five, but they haven't had a ton of separation. Their average margin of victory in the winning streak is just nine points.

UP NEXT

Mount St. Mary's will visit their second straight Pennsylvania-based opponent with a trip to Lehigh on Saturday. That game tips off at 2 p.m. The Mountaineers are 0-2 against the Mountain Hawks.

Pitt will renew the Backyard Brawl rivalry with West Virginia after a nearly four-year hiatus. The Panthers will host the Mountaineers on Saturday at 8 p.m. for the first time since Feb. 16, 2012. West Virginia won that game, 66-48, and leads the series, 96-88.