PITTSBURGH 79, VILLANOVA 70: Tray Woodall continued his strong play of late with 29 points, six rebounds and five assists as host Pittsburgh picked up its fourth straight win with a 79-70 triumph over Villanova.

Ashton Gibbs added 25 points for the Panthers (15-9, 4-7 Big East), who have pushed their way back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Pittsburgh will face only one currently ranked team - No. 25 Louisville - the rest of the regular season.

Woodall, who missed 11 of 12 games with a groin injury, has been the biggest reason for the turnaround. The junior point guard is averaging 18.5 points and 6.8 assists during the four-game winning streak.

Gibbs and Woodall combined for 26 points in the first half as Pittsburgh blasted out to a 40-28 lead at the break, shooting 54 percent in the period.

Villanova (10-13, 3-8 Big East) let it get to 45-28 on Gibbs’ 3-pointer early in the second before slowly beginning to push back. The Wildcats chipped it all the way down to 71-68 on JayVaughn Pinkston’s free throws with 23 seconds left.

But Woodall converted a layup at the other end and hit four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal it.

Mouphtauo Yarou collected 12 points and 14 rebounds for Villanova.