Panthers Close Out Homestand On Thursday Against Virginia

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (9-10, 0-5 ACC) will close out their four-game homestand on Thursday night as they welcome ACC foe Virginia to the Petersen Events Center for a 7:00 pm tip. The Cavaliers are coming off of their first ACC win of the season while the Panthers are in search of their first conference win of the season.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game against Virginia 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

Three of the Panthers four ACC losses have come at the hands of Top-15 programs (Notre Dame, NC State, Syracuse).
The Panthers are looking to avoid their second 0-6 start in ACC play since joining the conference in 2013-14.
One of the keys during Panther victories this season has been winning the battle in the paint as they own a 9-2 record this year when out-scoring opponents inside and a 0-8 mark when not doing so.

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers (9-10, 0-5 ACC) couldn't hold onto a halftime lead against the Clemson Tigers as they dropped their fifth straight game, 65-59.
Pitt held a 12-point lead in the third quarter but the Tigers used a 16-1 run to regain the lead and they never looked back, earning the road victory.
Senior Kauai Bradley had a career game in the loss for Pitt as she netted a career-high 17 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals across a season-high 39 minutes.
Junior Jasmine Whitney continued her steady play with 10 points, a team-high seven assists, five rebounds and four steals while Cassidy Walsh finished with 10 points, a career-high six steals, four rebounds and four assists.
As a team, the Panthers were out-rebounded 36-33 while the Tigers out-scored Pitt 30-16 in the paint.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS

The Virginia Cavaliers enter Thursday night's game with a 7-11 overall record and a 1-4 ACC mark. The Cavaliers are coming off of their first ACC win of the season last time out as they downed Virginia Tech 62-58 at home.
The Cavaliers are being led offensively by Jocelyn Willoughby who is averaging a team-high 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while connecting on 49.3% of her three-point shots on the year.
Dominique Toussaint is averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists across a team-best 34.7 minutes/game. Brianna Tinsley has started 16 games and is averaging 8.9 points and 2.8 rebounds while connecting on 30 triples.
As a team, the Cavaliers are averaging 57.9 points/game while allowing their opponents to score 65.8 points/game. On the glass, Virginia is out-rebounding their opponents 38.6 to 37.8.
The Cavaliers are coached by first-year head coach Tina Thompson who comes to Virginia after three seasons as an assistant coach at Texas. Thompson is one of the best players in WNBA history as she began as the first ever number one overall draft pick in 1997 and ended as the league's all-time leading scorer in 2013.

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt will hit the road on Sunday afternoon as they head to nationally-ranked Louisville for a 2:00 pm tip.
The Panthers will return to the Pete on Thursday, Jan. 31 as Virginia Tech comes to town for a 7:00 pm tip.

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