Pitt Falls to Florida State After Failed Late Comeback

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers fell behind early and could never make up the deficit, losing 75-74 to the Florida State Seminoles at the Petersen Events Center.

This served as the home finale for Pitt in the 2025-26 season, as they fall to 8-10 at home on the season and 2-7 in ACC play, with wins over Wake Forest on Jan. 27 and Notre Dame on Feb. 21. It's their worst record at home since the 2021-22 season, when they went 8-11.

Pitt falls to 11-19 overall and 4-13 in the ACC, while Florida State improves to 15-14 overall, 9-8 in the ACC and 6-5 on the road.

The Panthers also fall to 17-9 against the Seminoles, 8-8 in the ACC and 7-4 in the Petersen Events Center against them, plus five defeats in the past eight games to them.

Florida State Builds Big Lead in First Half Over Pitt

It was close initially, with FSU up 8-7 at the 17:19 mark, but then went on a 12-1 run, building a 20-8 lead with a little less than 13 minutes remaining. Their forward duo in senior Chauncey Wiggins and sophomore AJ Swinton led the road team with five points each during the run.

The Panthers got it as close as a five-point deficit after that, 22-17 at the 9:42 mark, but the Seminoles went on a 15-5 run over and led 37-22 with just three minutes remaining. The Seminoles hit three 3-pointers on the run and senior guard Robert McCray V led with five points.

Florida State kept their lead and went up 46-30 at halftime, with freshman guard Cam Miles hitting a buzzer beater 3-pointer.

Swinton scored seven points in the first half, but also suffered an injury that required medical staff to carry him off the court and he didn't return.

Wiggins led the way with 11 points and McCray had eight points, as Florida State shot 60.7% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point range, making eight 3-pointers.

Mar 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Chauncey Wiggins (right) handles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damarco Minor (left) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt struggled massively shooting, making just one of 12 3-pointers, 8.3% and making just 32.3% of their field goal attempts.

Pitt Makes Comeback Attempt in Second Half

The Panthers fell behind by as many as 24 points early in the second half, as the Seminoles went on an 8-0 run out of halftime.

Pitt would chip in the lead, with a 19-6 run that got the game back down to single-digits, 60-51 to FSU with 11:06 remaining.

The Panthers continued cutting into the deficit, even with the Seminoles getting some points, getting it down to just 68-63 at the 5:07 mark.

Senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. scored 17 points after Pitt trailed by 24 points, with three 3-pointers, playing a big role in the comeback, while fellow senior in forward Cameron Corhen scored eight points.

Pitt Fails to Seize the Moment

The Panthers had numerous chances to get the lead after trailing just five points with five minutes remaining, as the Seminoles almost literally handed them the game.

Florida State went more than eight minutes without a field goal and missed 10 straight shots during that period.

Pitt missed four shots themselves, with three of them 3-pointers, as they failed to make the necessary shots to get the win.

FSU would eventually get a 3-pointer from senior guard Lajae Jones to go up eight points, but sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis hit a 3-pointer to cut it back to 71-66 with 44 seconds left.

Mar 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nojus Indrusaitis (25) dribbles the ball against pressure from Florida State Seminoles guard Cam Miles (2) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Wiggins made a dunk to put the Seminoles up seven points with 33 seconds left, but the Panthers didn't go away, as sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis made two free throws and after forcing a turnover, fifth year guard Damarco Minor hit a 3-pointer to make it a 73-71 game.

McCray would step up to the foul line and make two free throws to make it a 75-71 lead with just 5.9 seconds remaining.

Minor ran all the way up the court and hit a miraculous 3-pointer falling forward, but no foul was called, as Pitt trailed 75-74 with 1.3 seconds left.

Florida State would inbound the ball and ran out the remaining time on the clock, winning the game.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!