Florida State led by as many as 24 points with 18:06 left in the second half. But even that comfortable lead was tested in the final moments on Wednesday.
The Seminoles missed 10 shots late in the game before a wild final minute: Lajae Jones hit a clutch 3-pointer, Chauncey Wiggins had a dunk as FSU beat the press and Robert McCray V sank a pair of free-throw attempts with five seconds left as FSU escaped with a 75-74 win at Pittsburgh.
FSU (16-14, 9-8) won its fifth straight ACC road game but not without some anxious minutes of basketball, including an FSU turnover with 15 seconds left. Damarco Minor hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to trim the FSU lead to 73-71, but McCray responded with the free throws.
Minor wasn't done yet, hitting a 3-pointer on the fast break with 1.3 seconds to go as FSU led just 75-74. FSU's coaching staff had time as the officials reviewed how much time to put back on the clock, and Jones inbounded the ball with a long toss to Thomas Bassong. After he caught it in Pitt's end of the court, and no foul was called, Bassong ran toward the Pitt basket and time expired.
Jones and Chauncey Wiggins each had 18 points. Both were efficient, with Jones shooting 6 of 11 from the floor (3 of 7 from deep) and Wiggins shooting 7 of 10 (4 of 7 from deep). Jones had 12 points in the second half.
McCray had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. He scored in double figures for the 16th time in ACC play.
Bassong backed up his double-double at Georgia Tech by scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds at Pitt.
AJ Swinton had seven points on 3 of 3 shooting.
Kobe MaGee returned to the court after rolling his ankle at Georgia Tech, but he didn't score a point in eight minutes.
FSU wrapped up the regular season with the five-game road winning streak, doing so by shooting 28 of 58 (48.3 percent) from the floor and 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range. But FSU struggled in the second half, shooting just 11 of 30 (36.7 percent).
Barry Dunning Jr. scored 26 points on 10 of 18 shooting and adding 10 rebounds for Pitt (11-19, 4-13 ACC), which used just seven players.
Former FSU forward Cameron Cohen had 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He also had six rebounds. Minor finished with 10 points and 10 assists.
Up next
FSU plays host to SMU on Saturday at 2 p.m. to wrap up the regular season. The Seminoles have guaranteed they will finish above .500 going into the ACC Tournament regardless of what happens in the rematch with SMU.
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