Panthers Welcome #12 Syracuse To Town On Thursday Night

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (9-8, 0-3 ACC) will look to get back to their winning ways on Thursday night as they welcome #12 Syracuse to the Petersen Events Center for a 7:00 pm tip. The Orange come to town riding an eight game winning streak as they own a 14-2 overall record and a 3-0 ACC mark so far this season.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game at #12 Syracuse will broadcast live on ACC Network Extra or on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app.
Fans can tune into 1320 AM WJAS for the Pitt IMG Sports Network broadcast of the game, with Josh Rowntree on the call. Fans can also listen online at PittsburghPanthers.com.
Live stats of the game can be found on PittsburghPanthers.com.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates throughout the game and a behind-the-scenes look.

STORYLINES

Pitt will be taking on their third Top-15 team through their first four conference games for the first time in program history.
The Panthers are looking to avoid their third 0-4 start in ACC play since joining the conference in 2013-14.
When the Pitt offense is able to score at least 60 points this season, they own a perfect 8-0 record.

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers (9-8, 0-3 ACC) put up a strong fight but weren't able to notch the come-from-behind victory as they fell 59-55 to Boston College on Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
The difference in the game on Sunday was the struggles at the free throw line for the Panthers as they went 9-for-18 from the charity stripe in the five-point loss.
Junior Jasmine Whitney continued her high level of play for Pitt as she led the way with 20 points, a career-high six steals, five rebounds and four assists across 37 minutes of work. The 20-point effort for Whitney was the third of her career and second this season.
Senior Danielle Garven had a strong second half for the Panthers as she finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 31 minutes. Kauai Bradley did a little bit of everything as she netted six points, seven rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks while Cassidy Walsh started her 17th straight game and finished with eight points, six boards and three assists.
As a team, the Panthers were able to force 25 Boston College turnovers and they turned those chances into 20 points. Pitt also notched 15 steals in the loss.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE

The Syracuse Orange come to town with a 14-2 overall record and an unblemished 3-0 ACC mark. The Orange enter as the #12 team in the country as announced on Monday with the release of the new AP Top-25 poll.
The Orange are being led offensively by one of the point guards in the country, Tiana Mangakahia. The Australia native is averaging a team-high 17.1 points, 8.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals while shooting 47.2% from the floor and 38.2% from behind the arc. Mangakahia is coming off of a triple-double against North Carolina as she recorded 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win. She has also been named ACC Player of the Week three times this season.
Miranda Drummond ranks second on the team in scoring as she is averaging 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals while starting all 16 games. Off the bench, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi is making an impact as she is averaging 10.1 points and a team-high 54 rebounds while shooting a team-best 58.8% from the floor.
As a team, the Orange are averaging 81.1 points/game while holding their opponents to just 63.7 points/game. They are also shooting 44.7% from the floor while holding opponents to just 36.3% shooting. The Orange hold the edge in rebounding 42.6 to 37.7 so far this season.

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt will stay at home for two more inside the Petersen Events Center after Thursday night as they welcome Clemson (Jan. 20) and Virginia (Jan. 24).
At the conclusion of their four-game homestand, the Panthers will return to the road on Sunday, Jan. 27 as they head to Louisville, KY to take on the nationally ranked Cardinals.

#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram