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Vasturia's 3 Lifts Notre Dame Over Pittsburgh In OT, 78-77

Pittsburgh guard Justice Kithcart (left) goes up for a shot against Notre Dame forward Bonzie Colson  during the first half.
Pittsburgh guard Justice Kithcart (left) goes up for a shot against Notre Dame forward Bonzie Colson during the first half.

Senior guard Steve Vasturia hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining and Notre Dame overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat Pittsburgh 78-77 in overtime in an Atlantic Coast Conference season opener.

The 24th-ranked Irish improved to 12-2 and host No. 6 Louisville on Wednesday.

Despite holding the lead for 31 minutes and 51 seconds, Pittsburgh (11-3) was unable to close out Notre Dame. The Panthers led 75-70 in overtime before the Irish made a series of clutch plays to close out the game.

Junior forward Bonzie Colson’s basket cut it to 75-72 with 1:51 remaining. Vasturia then hit the first of his two late 3-pointers to tie the game at 75 with 1:13 left. Pittsburgh senior guard Jamel Artis made a jumper to give Pitt a 77-72 lead with 41 seconds remaining.

With the game clock running down, junior guard Matt Farrell sprinted into the lane and while falling down, found an open Vasturia for the game-winning shot.

Colson finished with a team-high 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Irish, his eighth double-double of the season. Farrell had 16 points and Vasturia — who sat on the bench with foul trouble for an extended stretch in the second half — had 15 points.

Artis and senior forward Michael Young each had 25 points to lead the Panthers.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey improved to 22-10 in overtime with the Irish. Notre Dame has won its last 6 overtime games.

Pittsburgh shot just 33.3 percent in the second half, while the Irish shot 48.3 percent.

The Irish led 62-57 with 6:06 remaining in the second half, but Pittsburgh went on a 10-0 run to take a 67-62 lead with 2:42 to play on an Artis 3-pointer. Colson and senior wing V.J. Beachem both had buckets to pull the Irish within 67-66 with a minute left.

Vasturia hit two free throws to tie the game at 68-68 with 25 seconds remaining. Panthers guard Chris Jones attempted a 3-pointer late from the corner, but a leaping Beachem blocked it to potentially save the game.

Junior forward Martinas Geben gave the Irish a spark, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds before fouling out. Freshman guard T.J. Gibbs added seven points.

Notre Dame trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, falling behind big due to the hot shooting of Pittsburgh. The Panthers shot 37.5 percent for the game, while the Irish shot 44.9 percent.

The Panthers out-rebounded Notre Dame 45-39, including a 16-12 advantage on the offensive glass. But the Irish were far more effective in the paint, scoring 40 points on the interior.

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