University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Panthers To Battle Penn State In 2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge
6/18/2019 9:49:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team will head to Penn State for a ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest on Thursday, Dec. 5 inside the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park. Game time, as well as network coverage for the much anticipated matchup will be released at a later date.
"The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is always a highlight of the non-conference schedule for us and being matched up against Penn State this season makes it even more special for us," said second-year head coach Lance White. "I love that our players get to play not only for Pitt, but also feeling the responsibility of representing the best conference in the country, the ACC."
The game will be Pitt's sixth in the Challenge as a member of the ACC as they own a 2-3 record in the five previous contests. The Panthers were able to notch a road victory over Northwestern last season, downing the Wildcats 52-49 in a defensive battle.
The ACC owns nine Challenge titles and a 90-61 overall mark in Challenge games since its inception in 2007. The ACC has won at least six games in every Challenge.
The Panthers will have a new look in 2019-20 as they return just two starters from a team that collected 11 wins in the first season under head coach Lance White. Sixth-year guard Aysia Bugg's return to the lineup will add experience and scoring to the Panthers backcourt. The Chicago, IL native was averaging a career-high 14.0 points/game before sustaining blood clots that forced her to miss the final 26 games of the season. Junior center Cara Judkins also returns to Pitt after taking major strides during her second season as she started 25 games at center for the Panthers and averaged a career-high 6.6 points, a team-high 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.1 blocks while shooting a team-leading 47.0% from the floor.
Pitt will also welcome back junior sharpshooter Kyla Nelson who provided a nice scoring punch off the bench for the Panthers last season. Nelson finished off her second season averaging a career-high 6.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while connecting on a team-best 40.4% from behind the arc, draining multiple triples in 15 games. Sophomore's Jahsyni Knight and Ismini Prapa will both be looking to expand their roles in year two as Knight averaged 12.9 minutes across 27 games and Prapa appeared in 21 contests as a freshman.
Pitt's 2019 recruiting class, first under head coach Lance White, will feature five freshman and two transfer student-athletes. Marcella Lamark comes to Pittsburgh after one season at Texas Tech and will be available at the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign while Gabbie Green joins the Panthers after two strong seasons at South Plains College where she earned All-American honors during her sophomore campaign.
The five highly-touted freshman joining the Panthers for the second under White are Dayshanette Harris, Emy Hayford, Amber Brown, Cynthia Ezeja and Rita Igbokwe.
This will mark the first meeting between the two teams overall since Dec. 17, 2017 and the first ever in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Penn State currently holds the 29-13 edge in the series including three straight victories over the Panthers. Pitt's last win against the Nittany Lions came in 2008 when they collected an 80-59 home victory.
All Big Ten home games in this year's Challenge will appear on either BTN, ESPN, ESPN2 or BTN Plus, while ACC home games will be broadcast on either ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network Extra.
2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Minnesota at Notre Dame
Indiana at Miami
Clemson at Iowa
Boston College at Northwestern
Duke at Nebraska
Thursday, Dec. 5
Maryland at NC State
Purdue at Virginia Tech
Pitt at Penn State
Syracuse at Michigan
Louisville at Ohio State
Michigan State at Florida State
Illinois at North Carolina
Wisconsin at Georgia Tech
Virginia at Rutgers
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season tickets can be purchased for $50 by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online by clicking HERE. Current season ticket holders who want to renew their season tickets can log onto their account online and renew.
For those interested in buying an OC parking lot season pass, the price will be $57 and can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
"The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is always a highlight of the non-conference schedule for us and being matched up against Penn State this season makes it even more special for us," said second-year head coach Lance White. "I love that our players get to play not only for Pitt, but also feeling the responsibility of representing the best conference in the country, the ACC."
The game will be Pitt's sixth in the Challenge as a member of the ACC as they own a 2-3 record in the five previous contests. The Panthers were able to notch a road victory over Northwestern last season, downing the Wildcats 52-49 in a defensive battle.
The ACC owns nine Challenge titles and a 90-61 overall mark in Challenge games since its inception in 2007. The ACC has won at least six games in every Challenge.
The Panthers will have a new look in 2019-20 as they return just two starters from a team that collected 11 wins in the first season under head coach Lance White. Sixth-year guard Aysia Bugg's return to the lineup will add experience and scoring to the Panthers backcourt. The Chicago, IL native was averaging a career-high 14.0 points/game before sustaining blood clots that forced her to miss the final 26 games of the season. Junior center Cara Judkins also returns to Pitt after taking major strides during her second season as she started 25 games at center for the Panthers and averaged a career-high 6.6 points, a team-high 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.1 blocks while shooting a team-leading 47.0% from the floor.
Pitt will also welcome back junior sharpshooter Kyla Nelson who provided a nice scoring punch off the bench for the Panthers last season. Nelson finished off her second season averaging a career-high 6.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while connecting on a team-best 40.4% from behind the arc, draining multiple triples in 15 games. Sophomore's Jahsyni Knight and Ismini Prapa will both be looking to expand their roles in year two as Knight averaged 12.9 minutes across 27 games and Prapa appeared in 21 contests as a freshman.
Pitt's 2019 recruiting class, first under head coach Lance White, will feature five freshman and two transfer student-athletes. Marcella Lamark comes to Pittsburgh after one season at Texas Tech and will be available at the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign while Gabbie Green joins the Panthers after two strong seasons at South Plains College where she earned All-American honors during her sophomore campaign.
The five highly-touted freshman joining the Panthers for the second under White are Dayshanette Harris, Emy Hayford, Amber Brown, Cynthia Ezeja and Rita Igbokwe.
This will mark the first meeting between the two teams overall since Dec. 17, 2017 and the first ever in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Penn State currently holds the 29-13 edge in the series including three straight victories over the Panthers. Pitt's last win against the Nittany Lions came in 2008 when they collected an 80-59 home victory.
All Big Ten home games in this year's Challenge will appear on either BTN, ESPN, ESPN2 or BTN Plus, while ACC home games will be broadcast on either ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network Extra.
2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Minnesota at Notre Dame
Indiana at Miami
Clemson at Iowa
Boston College at Northwestern
Duke at Nebraska
Thursday, Dec. 5
Maryland at NC State
Purdue at Virginia Tech
Pitt at Penn State
Syracuse at Michigan
Louisville at Ohio State
Michigan State at Florida State
Illinois at North Carolina
Wisconsin at Georgia Tech
Virginia at Rutgers
GET YOUR TICKETS
Season tickets can be purchased for $50 by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online by clicking HERE. Current season ticket holders who want to renew their season tickets can log onto their account online and renew.
For those interested in buying an OC parking lot season pass, the price will be $57 and can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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