WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Chaundee Brown scored eight points in overtime, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 35.1 seconds to play as Wake Forest beat Pitt 78-76 Tuesday night in a battle of teams attempting to end five-game losing streaks.

Brown’s crucial shot gave the Demon Deacons a 77-74 lead.

Jaylen Hoard led the Deacons (9-13, 2-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 19 points and Brandon Childress and Brown added 18 apiece.

Xavier Johnson scored 23 points for the Panthers (12-11, 2-8), Jared Wilson-Frame added 17, including five 3-pointers, and Sidney N’Dir had 15.

Johnson made the first of two free-throw attempts with 6.8 seconds left overtime. He missed the second and ball was knocked into the backcourt, where Childress grabbed it and dribbled out the clock.

Brown made two 3-pointers in overtime, the first tied it at 72 with 2:57 left.

Pitt nearly won in regulation time. With the Panthers leading by two points, Hoard grabbed an errant desperation 3-pointer by Brown and laid it in with one second left to force overtime.

The teams traded leads throughout a tight second half.

Sharone Wright Jr. scored all 11 of his points during a 12-2 run in the second half as the Deacons grabbed a 61-53 lead with 5:15 left. Wright capped the run with a conventional 3-point play.

The Panthers scored the game’s first eight points. Johnson scored the first five on drives to the basket - the second was a 3-point play - in a cold-shooting first half for both teams. Pitt took a 28-26 lead at halftime after a buzzer-beating, length of the court drive by Johnson.

After a sluggish-shooting first half, both teams shot 50 percent or above in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Pitt: The loss leaves the Panthers only one-half game ahead of Miami, which could pull into a tie Wednesday by beating Notre Dame, in an attempt to stay out of the conference cellar. The Panthers have lost their last 20 conference road games.

Wake Forest: The Deacons showed some offensive spark in the second half after averaging fewer than 50 points in their past four games. The road ahead is rough with Florida State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and N.C. State next on the schedule. Childress snapped out of a 6-37 shooting slump in his previous three games.

UP NEXT

Pitt: at N.C. State on Saturday

Wake Forest: at Florida State on Feb. 13