DAYTON, Ohio – Sam Young scored 32 points and DeJuan Blairadded another double-double as top-seeded Pittsburgh advanced to the round of 16 for the fifth time in eight years with an 84-76 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Pittsburgh (30-4) will play Xavier in the East Regional semifinals in Boston on Thursday.
Obi Muonelo scored 19 points for the eighth-seeded Cowboys (23-12), who gave the Panthers all they could handle before losing their touch in the final minutes. Oklahoma State made 10 three-pointers in the first half but made only two of 12 from long range after halftime.
The Panthers, who played poorly and barely escaped a first-round upset against No. 16 seed East Tennessee State, showed a champion’s poise down the stretch.
The Cowboys tied it at 74-all with 2:42 left on an inside shot byMarshall Moses.
But Pitt point guard Levance Fields drove for a layup, and after OSU’s James Anderson missed a three-pointer, Fields dropped a three-pointer from up top to make it 79-74, with 1:27 left.
At Boise, Idaho, B.J. Raymond scored 15 points and Xavier finally broke through Wisconsin’s defense midway through the second half as Xavier won, 60-49.
(AP)