Pitt
12-5, 2-2
Georgia Tech
12-7, 2-3
Pitt Defeats Georgia Tech 75-72 in OT Thriller
1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Season Statistics
ATLANTA – The University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball team (12-5, 2-2 ACC) gutted out a 75-72 overtime victory at Georgia Tech (12-7, 2-3 ACC) on Sunday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.
Senior Monica Wignot posted a monster stat line with 21 point, 10 rebounds and nine blocks, and hit two massive 3-pointers in the overtime period. Her nine blocks is the third most in a single game at Pitt. She was 8-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-10 from behind the arc.
Brianna Kiesel added 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Yacine Diop had 13 points and 11 rebounds for her third career double-double.
Kiesel had her game-winning attempt rim out at the end of regulation, but Wignot hit a 3-pointer in overtime to tie the game at 70, and then another to put the Panthers ahead for good, 73-72. Kiesel would add two free throws and the Panthers buckled down on defense on Georgia Tech’s final possession to force a desperation 3-pointer which was no good.
“I am so proud of our players and how they continued to fight for 45 minutes,” head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. “We made plays at both ends of the floor down the stretch and each player made contributions. Monica was tremendous with almost having a triple-double. Yacine was a difference maker, and Bri was outstanding once again.”
The Panthers shot 38 percent for the game, but made 11 3-pointers and was 12-of-15 at the free throw line. This was the Panthers first overtime victory since 2011.
Georgia Tech’s Kaela Davis had 31 points for the Yellow Jackets, while Roddreka Rogers added 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Wignot scored eight of Pitt’s first 10 points, including a pair of triples, which gave the Panthers a 10-6 lead at the first media timeout of the game.
With Pitt leading 14-6, the Yellow Jackets used a 15-1 run which was capped off by Davis’ second 3-pointer of the game, giving Tech a 21-15 lead and forcing Suzie McConnell-Serio into a called timeout.
The Panthers responded out of the timeout and went on an 8-2 spurt which tied the game at 23-23 with 7:06 remaining.
With the game tied at 28, Kiesel scored five consecutive points to give the Panthers a 33-28 advantage, but Georgia Tech scored the final seven points of the half and took a 35-33 lead at halftime.
Both teams shot 37 percent in the opening half. Wignot led the Panthers with eight points, five rebounds and five blocks at the break. Tech’s Davis had 16.
The Panthers made 4-of-7 out of the locker room, and Stasha Carey’s driving layup gave the Panthers a 42-41 lead at the first media timeout of the second half.
With the game deadlocked at 46-46, Wignot and Diop converted layups, which was followed by a 3-pointer from Kiesel, giving the Panthers a 53-46 lead with just over eight minutes to go.
The Yellow Jackets scored the next six points to get within one at the 6:21 mark, and from that point on, neither team would play with a lead of more than four points for the remainder of the game.
Kiesel scored 18 of her 23 points in the second half and overtime, and despite the game-winner not going down, she opened the overtime period by drilling a 3-pointer to put Pitt up 67-64.
The Yellow Jackets would score the next six points, but Wignot then hit triples on back-to-back possessions which helped Pitt seal the victory.
The game featured 11 ties and seven lead changes. Pitt scored 26 points off of 18 Georgia Tech turnovers, and the Panthers had 24 second chance points.
Pitt returns to the Petersen Events Center this Thursday to host No. 25 Syracuse, followed by hosting Boston College on Saturday for Pink the Petersen.
