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LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Ticker) -- Trevor Huffman was just a bit better than Brandin Knight. Huffman's runner with 57 seconds left in overtime put 10th-seeded Kent State ahead for good and it held on for a 78-73 victory over No. 3 Pittsburgh in a South Region semifinal. Kent State (30-5) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games and will face fifth-seeded Indiana in Saturday's unlikely regional final. The Golden Flashes defeated the Hoosiers in the first round of last year's tournament. Pittsburgh (29-6) took its final lead at 71-70 on a free throw by Jaron Brown with 71 seconds left. Huffman, a flashy point guard, responded with a tough runner in the lane to put Kent State on top for good. The Panthers went to Knight, the co-Player of the Year in the Big East Conference. But Huffman's point guard counterpart missed a similar attempt at the other end with 43 seconds left. Antonio Gates was fouled by Knight, who picked up his fifth. Gates converted a pair of free throws for a three-point edge, but Pitt had one final chance. With Knight on the bench, Donatas Zavackas missed a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. Andrew Mitchell made four foul shots to seal the win for Kent State, which reached the regional finals for the first time. Gates scored 22 points and Huffman added 17 despite being saddled with four fouls over the last seven minutes. Gates was 7-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line. The teams struggled offensively in a first half that saw Kent State build a 29-23 lead. But the pace picked up in the second half as both teams shot over 50 percent. The Golden Flashes got a spark from reserve forward Eric Thomas, who did all the scoring in a 7-2 run for a 66-62 lead with just over two minutes left in regulation. Pitt guard Julius Page answered with a driving layup and Knight's runner with 53 seconds to go tied it. Kent State appeared to take the lead when Gates banked in a shot with 25 seconds left, but the officials ruled that Brown had forced a jump ball. Page missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Panthers the win as time expired. Knight and Page each netted 18 points for Pitt, which finished the season with a school-record 29 wins. Brown, a Lexington native, added 13 points and eight rebounds, helping the Panthers to a 39-26 advantage on the glass. Mitchell and Thomas each scored 12 points for Kent State, which reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in school history. The Golden Flashes have not lost since a 66-65 defeat at Buffalo on January 9. Huffman drilled a 3-pointer on his first shot of the second half for a 57-51 lead with 6:31 remaining. Knight had five points as the Panthers used a 9-2 surge to take its final lead in regulation, 60-59, with 3:38 remaining. |
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