Tom Mihalek, Associated Press photos Pitt coach Jamie Dixon encourages Antonio Graves as Graves wrestles for a loose ball against Villanova in the first half last night in Philadelphia. Click photo for larger image.

PHILADELPHIA -- Scroll down the Internet message boards or tune into talk radio and you'll read and hear about how Pitt does not have a go-to player for clutch situations.

The armchair coaches could be right. The Panthers don't have one guy who can carry the team to victory when it really matters. The have several.

As they demonstrated last night at Villanova, the Panthers have several players who are capable of making the plays down the stretch of a close game. Antonio Graves and Levance Fields made all the plays in the waning moments, including two vital 3-pointers in the final 1:46 to lift the Panthers to a 65-59 victory before 18,017 at the Wachovia Center.

"Given the right situation, we all can step up and make the plays we make," Graves said. "Coach [Jaime] Dixon does a great job of preparing us. And when preparation meets opportunity those are the results we get out of our team. All of our guys are great guys, can be starters on any team in the Big East or ACC. We have a collective mind that will do whatever it takes to win.

"It's a beautiful thing. It gets me emotional when I think about it. I've never played for a team that does whatever it takes to win. It doesn't have to be Aaron [Gray]. It doesn't have to be Levance. It doesn't have to be Mike [Cook] or me. We're like a family. That's one of the key aspects of our team this year."

Levance Fields drives crosscourt as Villanova's Dante Cunnningham defends in the second half last night. Fields was the high scorer for Pitt with 20 points. Click photo for larger image.

Fields and Graves were the heroes last night. Fields scored a team-high 20 points and made three 3-pointers. Graves scored 13 points with 7 assists and 4 steals, three in the second half when Pitt overcame a nine-point deficit.

Fields and Graves combined for 17 consecutive Pitt points late in the game, breaking a 45-45 tie and sparking the thrilling road victory.

"Wow," Graves said, not realizing the two-man show he and Fields put on. "It could have been anybody. It just worked out that way. We're a great team. We're very unselfish. We don't have any one guy who thinks he's the man. We can come out and work together."

The dynamic duo put daggers through Villanova's collective heart in the final two minutes, each making a huge 3-point basket to keep the Wildcats at an arm's length. After Villanova senior Mike Nardi made a runner with one second left on the shot clock with 2:27 remaining to cut the lead to one, Graves nailed a 3-pointer at the other end to make the score 57-53 with 1:46 to go.

Villanova coach Jay Wright shouts at his team after the Wildcats turned over the ball late in the second half. Click photo for larger image.

After Curtis Sumpter made two free throws to make it a two-point game, it was Fields' turn. He made another clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 60-55 with 52 seconds remaining.

"They hit the same shots we missed in the first half," Dixon said. "That was the reason we didn't panic. We're a good shooting team. We knew the shots would fall."

With the victory, No. 7 Pitt (20-3, 8-1) improved to 4-0 on the road in Big East play and clinched its sixth consecutive 20-win season. Villanova (14-7, 3-5) lost its second consecutive game.

Pitt struggled to find its rhythm in the first half. The Panthers shot 29 percent from the field and committed 11 turnovers, leading to a 28-23 disadvantage at the intermission.

But the halftime adjustments Dixon made proved to be crucial. Dixon wanted his team to be more patient on offense and cut down the fouls on defense.

Pitt came out in the second half and made 13 of 22 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc. While the offense certainly played a big role in the outcome, Dixon pointed to the defense afterward as the spark that got the Panthers going.

Pitt's Antonio Graves looks for an open man while guarded by Villanova's Mike Nardi and Dante Cunningham, rear, in the second half last night. Click photo for larger image.

"We stepped it up defensively and got some steals and transition baskets," Dixon said. "Sam [Young] had a lot to do with that as well as Antonio. Sam was a key factor in that. We finished in transition, and we're pretty good in transition making decisions."

Pitt had a season-high 10 steals. Young had three to go along with four from Graves. But perhaps the biggest adjustment was the way Pitt guarded Sumpter, Villanova's leading scorer who torched the Panthers in the first half for 14 points. Sumpter scored a game-high 21 points for Villanova, but he was 4 for 15 from the field and was 0 for 6 from the field in the second half.

"Every shot he took was tough," Dixon said. "We wanted to make him earn them. The defense was good. We understand how good he is. We made every shot tough."

The Panthers will savor this victory for a while. They don't play again until next Wednesday at West Virginia.

NOTES -- Gray recorded his 11th double-double of the season (14 points and 10 rebounds). ... Benjamin played a big role in the victory, making three 3-pointers. ... Philadelphia native Cook did not score, but he had four assists. ... Villanova shot 38 percent from the field. The only other Wildcats player in double figures was Nardi, who finished with 10 points, five of which came in the final 3:36.