Pitt
USF
Panthers Fall to USF, 68-51
1/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2010
TAMPA — Janae Stokes had 22 points and three other USF players reached double figures as the Bulls earned a rare win against the Panthers, 68-51 tonight in the Sun Dome.
The Bulls entered the game with a 1-5 mark against the Panthers in the all-time series.
Stokes scored all 15 of her first half points and Sequoyah Griffin added six to help the Bulls (11-7, 2-3 Big East) jump out to a 21-11 lead early on.
Taneisha Harrison, Pitt’s leading scorer on the night with 19, racked up seven of the Panthers’ first nine points of the game. Chelsea Cole reached double digits in the rebound column for the seventh time in the past 10 games, finishing with 10 boards on the night. Cole also chipped in nine points, two blocks, two steals and an assist for Pitt.
The Panthers (11-7, 0-5 Big East) played tough in the first half, powered behind Harrison’s 10 points and Cole’s seven, heading into the locker room down eight at 33-25. USF shot 44 percent (11-for-25), but eight of its first half field goals were three-pointers.
The Bulls built a 19-point lead following Jessica Lawson’s pair of free throws at the 13:49 mark of the second half. Pitt cut the lead to nine at 53-44 with a 12-1 run highlighted by a pair of Shayla Scott layups and two crucial three-point buckets from Harrison. Scott finished the night with six points and six rebounds.
After trading baskets, Pitt looked to make a late push, but a Stokes three-pointer at the 4:52 mark put the Bulls up 11, ending any Panther comeback threat.
USF finished the game shooting 51.1 percent (23-for-45), including 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from downtown while the Panthers shot just 28.8 (19-for-66) percent.
