Pitt to Host PSAC Champion IUP in Exhibition Game

EXHIBITION: IUP (0-0, 0-0 PSAC) AT PITT (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Sunday, Nov. 5 | 2 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh, Pa. | Petersen Events Center (12,508)
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PITTSBURGH – Pitt women's basketball will make final preparations for the 2017-18 regular season by hosting Division II opponent IUP in exhibition play Sunday at 2 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats will be available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
Fans may follow live updates on Twitter and Instagram at @Pitt_WBB.

MCCONNELL MATCH-UP

Sunday's exhibition will be a showcase between siblings as fifth-year Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and associate head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller take on their oldest brother, Tom McConnell, who is beginning his fifth year at IUP.
Last season, the Panthers topped the Crimson Hawks, 72-40, in exhibition play. Then-freshman guard Alayna Gribble had 12 points for Pitt, all scored from 3-point range.

SIX NEW FACES

The Panthers added six newcomers to their 2017-18 roster, including five true freshman and one junior transfer.
NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention Danielle Garven came to Pitt after leading Chipola College to the NJCAA Elite Eight this past season. The 6-foot-1 junior forward averaged 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 2016-17.
Freshmen Kyla Nelson, Pika Rodriguez and Magatte Sall each boast international experience. Nelson captained the U20 Great Britain National Team in 2016 and Rodriguez was Puerto Rico's top scorer at the 2017 FIBA World Cup in Italy with 14.6 points per game. Sall competed at the U16 and U17 African Cup Games.
A pair of Maryland natives added much-needed height to the squad in 6-foot-2 center Cara Judkins and 6-foot-3 forward Jaala Henry. Judkins is a two-time Adidas All-American and Henry was invited to play with the USA Basketball Women's U16 National Team in 2015.

UP FOR A CHALLENGE

Pitt's 2017-18 schedule lists top competition, with six opponents featured in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, and six more receiving votes in those polls.
Top 25 opponents include No. 13/15 West Virginia (Dec. 7), No. 9/10 Louisville (Jan. 18, Feb. 25), No. 6/5 Notre Dame (Jan. 25), No. 12/12 Duke (Jan. 28), No. 18/14 Florida State and RV/No. 24 Miami (Feb. 15).
Those receiving votes include Virginia (Dec. 28), North Carolina (Jan. 7), Virginia Tech (Jan. 11), Georgia Tech (Jan. 14), Syracuse (Jan. 21, Feb. 19) and NC State (Feb. 22).
Sixteen of the Panthers' 2017-18 opponents competed in the 2016-17 postseason. Nine were selected to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and seven played in the 2017 WNIT. Thirteen of Pitt's opponents finished the 2016-17 season inside the RPI Top 100, with five inside the Top 20.

#PITTalia

Pitt went 3-0 against international competition during a 10-day tour of Italy in August. The Panthers topped TK Hannover (Germany), 47-37, defeated All-Star Italy, 74-44, and conquered FSG Academy (Holland), 66-61. Newcomer Danielle Garven led Pitt with 13.3 points per game over the three contests, including 21 points against FSG Academy.
The Panthers visited seven destinations in Italy, including Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Lucca, Venice, Verona and Cernobbio. They toured such sites as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Piazza San Marco, Casa di Giulietta and Lake Como.

SHE'S BACK!

After missing the 2016-17 season with a leg injury, redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop returns to the hardwood for Pitt. The Dakar, Senegal, native was one of two players to average double-figure scoring for the Panthers in 2015-16 with 10.4 points per game. In total, Diop has started all 63 games of her career and averages 9.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS

The defending PSAC Champion Crimson Hawks enter the season ranked 20th in the WBCA Division II Coaches' Preseason Top 25 and sixth in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
IUP was picked to win the PSAC West by the conference coaches in the league's preseason poll.
The Crimson Hawks return all five starters and thier top seven bench players from a conference championship team that averaged over 70 points per game and limited opponents to just over 59.
IUP dropped a 108-40 exhibition contest at Notre Dame Wednesday. Junior guard Carolyn Appleby scored a team-high nine points in 22 minutes for the Crimson Hawks. Redshirt junior guard Lauren Wolosik played a game-high 35 minutes and scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Other team leaders included junior forward Brittany Robinson with four rebounds and senior guard Halle Denman with three assists.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will open their regular season by hosting Youngstown State (0-0, 0-0) Friday at 7 p.m. at Petersen Events Center. Tickets are available online at PittsburghPanthers.com or by calling 1-800-643-PITT (7488).

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Pitt to Host PSAC Champion IUP in Exhibition Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Yacine Diop

Danielle Garven

Alayna Gribble

Jaala Henry

Cara Judkins

Kyla Nelson

Pika Rodriguez

Magatte Sall

Pitt to Host PSAC Champion IUP in Exhibition Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Yacine Diop

Danielle Garven

Alayna Gribble

Jaala Henry

Cara Judkins

Kyla Nelson

Pika Rodriguez

Magatte Sall

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