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NEW YORK (AP) -- Bonzie Colson scored 19 points in 33 minutes, getting a full day's work in his third game back from injury as Notre Dame needed the star forward to hold off Pittsburgh 67-64 in its Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament opener Tuesday.
Jared Wilson-Frame made a 3 from the left wing for last-place Pitt (8-24) with 1:34 remaining to cut the lead to 61-58, and he missed another 32 seconds later. After a couple free throws by Notre Dame's T.J. Gibbs Jr., Marcus Carr hit another 3 to draw the 15th-seeded Panthers within 63-61.
Colson made two from the line with 22.3 seconds left after loose-ball foul on Carr that drew loud complaints from Pitt coach Kevin Stallings. Carr lost the ball on Pitt's next possession and 10th-seeded Notre Dame managed to close it out without any more drama.
The Irish play seventh-seeded Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Colson missed 15 games with a broken left foot before returning last week to play the final two games of the regular season. Against Pitt, the preseason All-American looked fine in a game that was no beauty for the Fighting Irish. Colson's turnaround jumper was working early and he leaned into defenders for a couple more buckets. He finished 5 for 14 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and looked stylish in his emerald green sneakers with gold trim.
Matt Farrell scored 18 for the Irish, who shot 34 percent.
Notre Dame improved to 13-4 with Colson in the lineup and are hoping a good showing here at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will convince the NCAA Tournament selection committee that, with a healthy Colson, the Fighting Irish deserve a spot in field of 68.
Pitt took a 12-point halftime deficit down to 48-45 with 9:00 left on a 3-pointer from Parker Stewart. Mostly, Notre Dame's poor shooting in the second half (4 for 24) kept the Panthers in it.
ACCTourney Notes
Notre Dame (19-13) advances to face No. 7 seed Virginia Tech (21-10) in Wednesday’s 7 p.m. second-round game at Barclays Center. The Fighting Irish dropped an 80-75 decision to the Hokies when the teams met at South Bend on Jan. 27.
The Fighting Irish improved to 7-3 all-time in the New York Life ACC Tournament and have won at least one game in the event each of the past four years.
Pitt slipped to 4-5 all-time in the ACC Tournament and to 0-1 in the event versus Notre Dame. This marked only the second time in their five ACC Tournaments – and the first time since 2015 – that the Panthers failed to win at least one game.
The No. 10 seed is now 3-0 versus the No. 15 seed all-time in ACC Tournament play.
With a game-high 19 points, Notre Dame senior Bonzie Colson upped his ACC-leading active consecutive-games double-figure scoring streak to 34 … In his three games over the past week since returning from a foot injury, Colson has averaged 18.3 points and 10 rebounds.
The Irish’s Matt Farrell (18 points) connected on three shots from 3-point range to up his ACC-leading total for the season to 89.
With 13 points on Wednesday, Notre Dame junior guard Rex Pflueger reached double figures for the first time since scoring 19 versus Florida State on Feb. 10.
The Panthers’ Jared Wilson-Frame (18 points) reached double figures for the 23rd time this season … Wilson-Frame knocked down three shots from 3-point range, marking his 15th game of the season with at least three successful shots from beyond the arc.
Pitt freshman Marcus Carr matched Wilson-Frame’s team-high 18 points. It marked Carr’s 15th double-figure scoring game of the year.
Fellow freshman Parker Stewart added 14 points for the 16th double-digit scoring game of his first collegiate year.
Notre Dame’s Mike Brey recorded his 500th career win as a collegiate head coach, 401 of which have come with the Fighting Irish over the last 18 seasons.
Of all ACC teams, Notre Dame has the most appearances at Barclays Center (10) and wins (eight). The Fighting Irish are followed in the total wins column by Duke (6-0), Pitt (4-5) and Florida State (3-1).