Florida State Vs Pittsburgh: Seminoles Hold On, Win 75-74 in Senior Night Thriller
Florida State Vs Pittsburgh unfolded into a late, frantic finish Wednesday at the Petersen Events Center as Florida State escaped with a 75-74 victory. The result matters because Pitt’s comeback from a 24-point deficit fell just short, complicating the Panthers’ effort to secure a spot in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
Final sequence and clock: Florida State Vs Pittsburgh
The closing sequence swung several times in the final 15 seconds. After a Florida State turnover with 15 seconds remaining, Pitt’s Damarco Minor canned a 3-pointer to trim the margin to 73-71. With 5. 9 seconds on the clock, Seminoles forward Robert McCray sank two free throws, and Minor answered with another 3 at the 1. 3-second mark to make it 75-74. Florida State then inbounded successfully and ran out the clock to preserve the one-point win.
The game ended 75-74. Pitt at one point trailed by 16 at halftime and by as much as 24 early in the second half, then chipped away at that deficit until the final possession. Chauncey Wiggins delivered a critical 3-pointer for Florida State with 52 seconds left that helped rebuild a slim lead after Pitt’s surge.
Barry Dunning Jr. and Pitt’s late surge
Pitt honored three seniors before the game—Damarco Minor, Cam Corhen and Barry Dunning Jr. —and Dunning produced the performance to match the moment. He finished with a season-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Corhen added 14 points and six rebounds, while Nojus Indrusaitis scored 17.
Pitt shot 41. 3 percent from the field (26 of 63) and connected on nine 3-pointers, five of which came from Dunning. The Panthers’ rally was incremental; by 5: 07 remaining in the game Florida State’s lead had been reduced to five, and Pitt maintained pressure until the closing seconds forced the Seminoles to rely on inbound execution and free throws to escape.
Petersen Events Center, roster movement and implications for the ACC Tournament
The game was the Panthers’ final home contest of the season at the Petersen Events Center, and it underscored how roster turnover has altered senior nights: three honored seniors were celebrated, but only Cam Corhen had logged multiple seasons in a Pitt uniform. That context—relaxed transfer portal rules and frequent movement—was noted as a factor diminishing the traditional weight of a senior night.
Florida State’s victory also carried conference consequences. The Seminoles improved their standing while Pitt’s loss leaves the Panthers with their record unchanged after the defeat, complicating their bid to qualify for the ACC Tournament. The immediate effect is that Pitt’s late rally, though dramatic, did not translate into the win they needed to bolster their tournament positioning.
What makes this notable is the combination of a dominant midgame performance by Florida State—building a 24-point cushion—and a persistent Pitt comeback that nearly erased that margin; the juxtaposition highlighted both teams’ streaky offense and the decisive value of late-clock execution. Coach-level decisions punctuated the game, including a timeout called by Capel when Pitt trailed 20-8 in the first half after a fastbreak dunk by Thomas Bassong.
The result leaves questions about momentum for both clubs as the regular season winds toward its conclusion. For Pitt, the narrow loss on senior night will be remembered for Dunning’s breakout scoring and Minor’s late 3s; for Florida State, the win was secured by timely free throws, a late 3 from Wiggins and the final inbound play that iced the game.
