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Panthers take down Wildcats in OT

Mar 4, 2013 - 5:27 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Talib Zanna scored nine points in overtime and the 23rd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers snuck past the Villanova Wildcats, 73-64, on Sunday.

Zanna ended with 14 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks for the Panthers (23-7, 11-6 Big East), who have won three in a row. James Robinson added 14 points and Tray Woodall tallied 13 points and 11 assists.

Pittsburgh, which has now won six straight against Villanova, will face DePaul in its season finale next Saturday.

Ryan Arcidiacono ended with 23 points for the Wildcats (18-12, 9-8), who have lost two straight and are considered to be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Mouphtaou Yarou and JayVaughn Pinkston donated 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Villanova closes out the regular season on Wednesday against Georgetown.

Woodall made two free throws with 1:06 left in regulation to get Pittsburgh within two, 56-54. Pinkston went 1-of-2 from the line at the other end to make it a three-point game.

Zanna came down with a key offensive rebound on the ensuing Pittsburgh possession. Robinson followed with a 3-pointer to tie things up at 57 with 33.3 seconds to go.

Villanova played for the last shot and Arcidiacono made his move with time winding down. Dante Taylor blocked his shot and the ball went out with 3.3 ticks left on the clock. Zanna stole the inbound pass to send the game into overtime.

"We held it down and don't get a shot off. We get a baseline out of bounds and don't get a shot off. Right there you don't deserve to win," Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright said.

Zanna's personal 7-0 run to start the extra session gave the Panthers a 64-57 edge.

Villanova failed to go down without a fight and scored the next four points to get within three, 64-61. After Robinson made two free throws, Arcidiacono made a 3-pointer to cut the gap to 66-64.

Robinson followed with a big 3-pointer for the Panthers. Woodall was double teamed in the lane and found Robinson wide open in the corner with 28.3 seconds remaining.

Zanna made two free throws on Pittsburgh's next possession to secure the victory.

"We had different guys step up and make plays," Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. "We just made plays and played basketball."

Villanova, which led 28-25 at the break, scored the first five points of the second half to create some distance.

However, Pittsburgh responded with a 9-4 spurt to make it close again. Robinson's three-point play got the home team within three, 37-34, with 13:15 left in regulation.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh leads the all-time series by a 33-32 margin ... Each team made 18 free throws ... Pinkston also had four blocks.