Pitt
(13-6, 3-3ACC)
Boston College
(9-11, 1-6ACC)
Pitt Closes Strong, Defeats Boston College 78-70
1/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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PITTSBURGH - A 15-0 run in the final four minutes of the game lifted the University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team (13-6, 3-3 ACC) past Boston College (9-11, 1-6 ACC) by the score of 78-70 on Saturday afternoon in Pitt's eighth annual Pink the Petersen Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
A sea of 3,921 fans wearing pink witnessed Brianna Kiesel score 29 points and dish out eight assists. She led three Panthers in double-figures as Yacine Diop recorded her fourth double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Monica Wignot contributed 18 points and nine rebounds.
With 3:57 remaining in the game and Boston College leading 67-62, Kiesel drilled a 3-pointer while getting fouled and converted the four-point play. After two missed free throws on BC's next possession, Wignot drained a corner 3 to give the Panthers a 69-67 advantage.
Those back-to-back triples kick-started the 15-0 run which led to Pitt's come-from-behind victory. Diop would connect on a floater in the lane and the Panthers made six free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
"I thought we did a good job of attacking and moving the ball," head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. "Boston College is so dangerous with their shooters, and every time we made a mistake on defense, they capitalized. I am so proud of Brianna Kiesel and I love coaching her. I am spoiled because I have come to expect those types of performances from her."
Despite Diop scoring eight of Pitt's first 10 points, the Eagles made seven of their first 14 shots, and a loose-ball put back gave BC a 17-12 lead with 11:35 remaining in the opening half, forcing a Pitt timeout.
With the Eagles leading 27-18, Kiesel engineered a 13-0 run by scoring eight points during the spurt, which gave the lead back to the Panthers at 30-27 lead with 4:41 remaining.
The Pitt run would ultimately be 21-7 to end the half as the Panthers took a 39-34 advantage into the locker room. The Panthers shot 44 percent in the opening 20 minutes and made 7-of-14 from long range. Kiesel led the way with 14, followed by Diop with 12 and Wignot with 11.
BC's Karima Gabriel scored eight early points in the second half, but the Panthers continued to execute and held a 48-44 lead at the first media timeout of the second stanza.
As the two teams continued to take turns holding the lead, a 3-pointer from BC's Emilee Daley gave the Eagles a 57-55 advantage and forced Suzie McConnell-Serio in a timeout with 7:44 remaining in the contest.
Kelley Hughes would score the next five points for the Eagles, but a timely 3-pointer from Fred Potvin got the Panthers back within two (62-60) with 4:59 left in the game.
BC stretched its lead to 67-62 on a 3-pointer from Nicole Boudreau and a pair of free throws from Gabriel, but that would be the final scoring for the Eagles until nine seconds remaining when the game was essentially over.
During the decisive run, Pitt's defense held the Eagles to 0-of-4 shooting, while BC also missed three straight free throws and turned the ball over three times.
The Panthers made 11 3-pointers and shot 43.8 percent overall for the game. The Eagles were 45.8 percent overall and both teams grabbed 36 rebounds and scored 26 points in the paint. BC had four players in double-figures, led by Hughes with 18.
Pitt's next game comes on the road at No. 15/13 Duke on Thursday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium before returning home to host Miami next Sunday at 1 p.m.
