Pitt Takes Down Towson, 81-63

Sunday, November 19

Pittsburgh, Pa.

2 P.M.

Pitt

(3-1)

Towson

(0-3)

Towson

Pitt

11/19/2017 5:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Diop Posts Second Consecutive 20-Point Game

PITTSBURGH – For the second consecutive game, redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop reached the 20-point mark to lead Pitt women's basketball (3-1, 0-0 ACC) as the Panthers defeated Towson (0-3, 0-0 CAA), 81-63, Sunday afternoon at Petersen Events Center.

The 5-foot-10 forward is the first Panther to post 20 or more points in back-to-back games since Brianna Kiesel did so respectively against Notre Dame (27) and Clemson (22) Feb. 26 and March 1, 2015. Diop had 22 points last time out against Duquesne.

Diop scored 24 points on 7-of-18 from the field, 1-of-3 from long range and 9-of-13 from the free throw line. She added nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Her nine free throws and five assists are career-high marks.

She led four double-figure scorers for Pitt, including junior center Kalista Walters (12), sophomore guard Jasmine Whitney (10) and junior guard Cassidy Walsh. Junior forward Danielle Garven had nine points and eight rebounds in a near-double-double effort, and freshman guard Pika Rodriguez came off the bench to record her first collegiate minutes and score back-to-back 3-pointers. She ended with eight points.

Pitt was effective from the free-throw line, making 24-of-30 (.800), and had 22 assists on 26 made field goals.

The Panthers opened the game with a 10-0 run that lasted until 4:25 in the first quarter when the Tigers scored their first points of the contest on a 3-pointer after starting 0-of-12 from the field, 0-of-5 from long range. All Pitt starters reached the scoring column within the first five minutes of the game. The Panthers ended the period with their largest lead of the season, up 20-5. Walters led the squad with eight points in the first stanza.

Walsh extended Pitt's lead with her first points of the season – two free throws – at 8:49 in the second quarter. She hit her first triple of the year at 5:14 to give Pitt a 20-point margin (27-7). Another first of the year came from Rodriguez who recorded her first minutes of college basketball and used them to hit back-to-back 3-pointers as Pitt reached 39-16 lead at 2:15. She ended the half with two free throws as the Panthers entered the locker room with a commanding 43-18 lead.

Diop completed an and-one situation to give the Panthers their largest lead of the game (46-18) to open scoring in the third quarter (9:33), and then reached a 28-point margin again after the forward made a layup at the 9:19 mark (48-20). However, two large runs and some solid 3-point shooting by the Tigers cut into the Panthers' lead, ultimately outscoring Pitt 26-18 for the quarter. The teams entered the final 10 minutes with Pitt on top, 61-44.

The Panthers led by as many as 22 points at three different times in the fourth quarter, with the latest being 72-50 after a Diop layup at the 5:12 mark. Towson was able to cut it to a 14-point margin after some quality offensive play, but the Tigers were unable to keep up with the Panthers. Pitt came away with an 18-point win, 81-63.

STREAK STATUS

Pitt has won its last 10 games when scoring 80 or more points, a streak that dates back to a double-overtime loss to Providence (85-83) Feb. 6, 2013.

THE LAST TIME…

A Pitt player scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games: Feb. 26 and March 1, 2015 – Brianna Kiesel versus Notre Dame (27) and Clemson (22), respectively
Pitt scored 80 or more points: Nov. 23, 2016 vs. Slippery Rock (94)
Pitt had 10 or more blocks: Feb. 9, 2017 vs. Clemson (12)

MILESTONES

Yacine Diop: career-high made free throws (nine) tied career-high assists (five)
Season-high points: Yacine Diop (24), Jasmine Whitney (10), Cassidy Walsh (10), Pika Rodriguez (eight), Jaala Henry (four)
First points of the season: Cassidy Walsh (10), Pika Rodriguez (eight), Jaala Henry (four)
First collegiate points: Pika Rodriguez (eight), Jaala Henry (four)

WITH THE WIN…

The Panthers remain unbeaten against the Tigers in the all-time series, improving to 5-0.
Pitt improves to 17-8 all-time against CAA schools.
The Panthers improve to 9-2 in when playing in November since last season.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will make their first road trip of the season, visiting Cincinnati, Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be played at St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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