CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Interstat) — Barry Dunning’s tip-in with 57 seconds remaining gave Pittsburgh a one-point lead, and the Panthers survived a frantic final sequence to edge Stanford 64-63 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Tuesday afternoon at Spectrum Center.

The game, organized by the Atlantic Coast Conference, saw Pittsburgh overcome a dominant second-half surge by Stanford to snap a two-game losing streak against the Cardinal and improve to 12-19 overall. Stanford fell to 20-12.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the final minute. After Pittsburgh’s Omari Witherspoon missed the second of two free throws with 33 seconds left, Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie drove the length of the court and converted a difficult layup while being fouled. He completed the three-point play at the line, giving Stanford a 63-62 lead with 26 seconds on the clock.

Pittsburgh called a timeout to advance the ball. Out of the huddle, Damarco Minor’s three-point attempt from the wing missed, but Dunning, crashing from the weak side, grabbed the offensive rebound. His putback attempt also missed, but he secured his own miss and, on his third effort, finally guided the ball into the basket for a 64-63 Pittsburgh lead with 14 seconds remaining.

Stanford had two chances to win in the final seconds. After a timeout, Okorie’s driving layup was blocked by Pittsburgh’s Damarco Minor. The loose ball was corralled by Stanford’s AJ Rohosy, but his rushed second-chance jumper from close range missed as time expired, sealing the narrow victory for the Panthers.

The contest was a tale of two halves. Pittsburgh controlled the opening period with physicality and rebounding, building a 31-23 lead at the break. The Panthers held Stanford to 25% shooting from three-point range in the first half while dominating the glass with 18 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points.

Stanford emerged from halftime transformed. The Cardinal opened the second period on a 19-7 run, fueled by the backcourt duo of Okorie and Benny Gealer. Okorie scored 12 of his team-high 14 points after halftime, while Gealer’s perimeter shooting helped stretch the Pittsburgh defense. Stanford shot 50% from the field and 46% from three-point range in the second half, erasing the deficit and setting up the back-and-forth finish.

Despite Stanford’s efficient second-half offense, Pittsburgh’s relentless work on the offensive boards proved decisive. The Panthers finished with a staggering 18 offensive rebounds, leading to a 44-32 advantage in points in the paint and a 14-9 edge in second-chance points. This compensated for a poor shooting afternoon overall, as Pittsburgh connected on just 3 of 17 attempts from beyond the arc.

Dunning, a 6-foot-6 guard from Mobile, Alabama, led all scorers with 16 points and added eight rebounds and two blocks for Pittsburgh. His late-game heroics capped a strong individual performance. Cameron Corhen added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Roman Siulepa and Omari Witherspoon each chipped in 14 points. Witherspoon also contributed six rebounds.

For Stanford, Okorie’s 14 points paced a balanced attack. Rohosy finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Gealer added 11 points. The Cardinal’s defense was anchored by Donavin Young, who recorded four of Stanford’s eight blocked shots.

Pittsburgh’s victory avenged a 75-67 loss at Stanford just two weeks prior. The Panthers, who were projected by Interstat’s ELO system to have only a 28.1 percent chance of winning, outperformed the pregame spread where Stanford was installed as a 5-point favorite. The total score of 127 fell well under the over/under line of 139.5.

Pittsburgh next faces North Carolina State on Wednesday, also in Charlotte, to continue play in the conference event. Stanford’s season record now stands at 20 wins and 12 losses.