Pitt Cruises to 90-38 Victory over New Orleans

Friday, November 9

Pittsburgh, Pa.

4 PM

Pitt

(1-1)

New Orleans

(1-1)

NEW ORLEANS

Pitt

Pitt Cruises to 90-38 Victory over New Orleans

11/9/2018 7:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats Postgame Quotes Photo Gallery White Postgame

White Earns First Head Coaching Win with Panthers’ Victory

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team used a 44-8 first-half run to cruise to a 90-38 victory over New Orleans Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.

The win gave Lance White his first as a head coach, and also gave the Panthers a 1-0 series lead following their first-ever meeting with the Privateers.

Pitt now moves to 1-1 on the season, with the loss putting New Orleans at 1-1 as well.

"My first career win at Pitt," said White. "I guess this is what happens whenever you win your first game – you get doused with water. It was really cool. The kids were excited, and for them, I think it was a great start to what we want to do. I think the first two games have been closer to the way that we have to play, but I was really pleased with their effort. We didn't start very well, but once we got going, I thought we made some plays and changed the momentum and played with a lot more energy and movement then we had all year, so I was really pleased with that."

Four players scored in double figures for the Panthers, with senior Cassidy Walsh dropping a career-high 21 points in the contest. Junior Alayna Gribble added 17 points in the game, followed by senior Danielle Garven with 15 and sophomore Kyla Nelson with 12. Gribble went 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc in the matchup, putting her just seven makes away from 100 for her career, while junior Jasmine Whitney collected a team-high five steals, putting her at 102.

For the Privateers, senior Shania Woods led the team with 13 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Traya Bruce ranked second on the team with 10 points.

Pitt finished the matchup shooting 35-of-71 (49.3 percent) from the field, including a 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) mark from deep. New Orleans finished the game 15-of-52 (28.8 percent) from the field. The Panthers topped the Privateers in every major statistical category, leading in rebounds (46-32), assists (28-8), steals (18-7) and blocks (8-3).

Both teams opened the game slowly offensively, with the score tied at 4-4 with 6:13 left in the first quarter, before Pitt eventually found its rhythm and broke the game open. The Panthers would use a 16-6 run to finish the first with a 20-10 lead, with Gribble and Nelson dropping in two treys apiece off the bench to spur the run.

Pitt continued to pour it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Privateers 30-8 to head into the break with a 50-18 advantage. The Panthers continued to fire from deep, finishing the half with an 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) mark from beyond the arc. After two, Gribble and Walsh led the team with 12 points apiece, with both Panthers shooting 4-of-7 from the field.

The third quarter was more of the same, as Pitt continued to increase its lead. The two squads traded baskets for the first few minutes, putting the score at 56-24 with 5:58 left in the quarter, before the Panthers used a 16-5 run to take a 72-29 lead heading into the fourth.

Pitt would close out the game strong, outscoring New Orleans 18-9 to take the 90-38 victory.

Up next, the Panthers will continue their homestand as they welcome Youngstown State to the Petersen Events Center Tuesday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram