Panthers Fall to No. 5/5 Notre Dame, 87-53

Thursday, January 25

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 P.M.

Pitt

(9-12, 1-7ACC)

Notre Dame

(19-2, 7-1ACC)

Notre Dame

Pitt

Panthers Fall to No. 5/5 Notre Dame, 87-53

1/25/2018 10:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Rodriguez Leads Pitt with 12 Points Off Bench

PITTSBURGH – Freshman guard Pika Rodriguez hit three of her game-high four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for Pitt women's basketball (9-12, 1-7 ACC) as the Panthers fell to their second top-five opponent in a week, No. 5/5 Notre Dame (19-2, 7-1 ACC), 87-53, Thursday night at Petersen Events Center.

Rodriguez led Pitt in scoring with 12 points off the bench. Redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop was the only other Panther to reach double figures in the scoring column with 10 points, marking her 16th game in double digits this season. In her first start since Dec. 3 at Fordham, sophomore Alayna Gribble posted eight points and three rebounds.

No. 5/5 Notre Dame had the upper hand in field goal percentage (48.5 percent to 32.3 percent), rebounding (51-28), points in the paint (48-18), points off turnovers (25-13), second chance points (23-11) and fast break points (16-8). The Panthers' bench outscored the Irish's reserves, 22-16.

Notre Dame junior Jessica Shepard posted game highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Classmate Marina Mabrey had 21 points, and reigning ACC Player of the Week Arike Ogunbowale had 14 points and six rebounds.

The first quarter featured three ties and three lead changes, with the Panthers holding a largest advantage of four points (7-3), following a free throw by Gribble. Pitt held on to its lead until an 11-0 run – all points scored by Shepard – put the Irish in front, 18-9. The teams traded baskets in the final 30 seconds of play to make it 20-11 at the first break.

Diop opened the second quarter by completing an and-one to put the Panthers within six, down 20-14 (9:50). An 18-2 run that lasted until the 2:41 mark propelled the Irish to a 38-16 lead. Freshman Magatte Sall scored the second field goal of her career to make it 38-18, but Notre Dame stayed in control and outscored the Panthers 6-3 over the final two minutes to reach a 44-21 lead at halftime. The 23-point margin marked Pitt's largest halftime deficit of the season, previously 22 at Virginia Tech (Jan. 11).

Notre Dame continued its dominance in the third quarter, reaching a 65-30 lead after a 14-4 run. The teams entered the final 10 minutes with the Fighting Irish on top, 67-36.

The Irish led by as many as 40 (85-45) with 2:46 remaining in the game, but two free throws by freshman Cara Judkins and two Rodriguez triples – including one with four seconds remaining – settled the final score at 87-53.

MILESTONE WATCH

Redshirt junior Yacine Diop picked up her 100th steal as a Panther with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter. She now has 101 for her career.
Sophomore point guard Jasmine Whitney is one assist away from reaching 200 for her career.
Junior center Kalista Walters is two blocks and seven steals away from reaching 100 for her career in each category.

UP NEXT

Pitt will hold its 11th annual Pink The Petersen game for breast cancer awareness when the Panthers host No. 18 Duke Sunday at 2 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
A portion from each ticket sold will be donated to Susan G. Komen Pittsburgh. Fans will receive a free Pink The Petersen T-shirt while supplies last. Breast cancer survivors in attendance will be recognized on the court at halftime.
Tickets are available online at PittsburghPanthers.com or by calling 1-800-643-PITT (7488).