Everett's Huge Game Lead's Women's Hoops Past Hofstra

Sunday, November 29

Pittsburgh, Pa.

2:00 PM

Pitt

2-0,0-0ACC

Hofstra University

1-1,0-0CAA

Hofstra

Pittsburgh

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Everett's Huge Game Lead's Women's Hoops Past Hofstra

11/29/2020 6:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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PITTSBURGH – Behind a season-high 23 points from junior Jayla Everett, the Pitt women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 ACC) improved to 2-0 to start the season for the first time under head coach Lance White. The Panthers used a hot-shooting first half to take down the visiting Hofstra Pride, 71-58, for their second straight double-digit victory to open the season.

"We've shown glimpses of really good basketball," stated head coach Lance White. "As you can see our program moving forward, that for me is huge, as that we've worked tirelessly as coaches and assistant coaches to put a better product on the floor. You see moments and now, you want more and more from those kids. Being able to understand value of possessions and how energy and all of those things that we have to keep growing in. But there are a lot of really good moments and I'm excited about the future of what I think we can become."

Everett was the best player on the court for the second straight game for Pitt on Sunday as she was able to net a team-high 23 points and five rebounds across 31 minutes of work. The lengthy guard connected on three triples while also going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line to pace the Pitt offense. Dayshanette Harris had another strong game for the Panthers as she netted 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win.

The Panthers raced out to a quick 9-2 lead in the opening quarter as Everett knocked down a pair of triples and senior captain Gabbie Green drilled her first triple of the game. The Pride scored the next four points before Pitt was able to close out the quarter on a 14-4 run as Harris converted an and one layup and Destiny Strother came off the bench to knock down a pair of triples, sending Pitt to the second quarter with the 23-10 lead.

After Hofstra opened the scoring in the second, Pitt went on a 6-0 run to take the 29-12 advantage as Harris converted on back-to-back buckets and Everett sank a pair of free throws. Jaala Henry cut the Hofstra deficit to 14, 33-19, midway through the second quarter but the Panthers finished the quarter strong once again as the bench provided some much needed scoring. Tracey Hueston came in and netted six straight points while Sandrine Clesca scored five to send Pitt to halftime with the 46-28 lead.

The third quarter opened with Rita Igbokwe finishing off a layup after a great feed from Amber Brown, but the Panthers were outscored the rest of the quarter by the score of 17-11. Hofstra cut the Panthers lead to 13 twice in the third quarter but both times Pitt responded as Clesca made a jumper and Harris finished a free throw to send the game to the final quarter with Pitt leading 59-45.

The Pride were able to get back into the game in the final quarter as they opened the frame scoring the first eight points to cut their deficit to six, 59-53. Everett then stopped the Hofstra run with a deep three-pointer and Harris netted a free throw to push the Pitt lead back to 10, 63-53, midway through the final quarter. The Pride got within seven in the final five minutes but Everett calmly netted all six of her free throw attempts down the stretch to secure the 71-58 victory for the Panthers on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers had some strong performances off the bench on Sunday as Strother netted a career-high eight points while connecting on two three-pointers. Clesca finished off her afternoon with a career-high seven points, two rebounds and a steal while Hueston netted a career-best six points, one rebound and one steal across five minutes.

Hofstra was led offensively by Rosalee Nicholson who netted 17 points and six rebounds while Jaylen Hines finished off her game with 14 points and five rebounds. Former Panther Jahsyni Knight finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in the loss.

For the game, Pitt won the rebounding battle 42-40 while also holding the edge in fast break scoring, 19-11. The Pride were able to outscore Pitt 12-9 in the second chance scoring category while also committing just 18 turnovers to the Panthers' 20.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will close out their non-conference slate next Sunday, Dec. 6 as they welcome Delaware to the Petersen Events Center. Sunday's game against the Blue Hens will tip at 6:00 pm and will air live on the ACC Network.
Pitt will then open up ACC action on the road Thursday, Dec. 10 as they travel to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.

PITT NOTES
Team

With the win, Pitt improves to 1-0 all-time against Hofstra.
Pitt improves to 2-0 on the season for the fifth time since joining the ACC in 2013-14.
For the game, Pitt shot 40% from the floor while they held the Pride to just 30.2% shooting.
The Pitt defense held Hofstra to just 21.1% shooting from behind the arc as they have now held both of their opponents this season to less than 22% from three-point range.
Pitt posted a season-high 46 points in the first half while connecting on 6-for-10 from three-point range.
The Panthers forced 18 Hofstra turnovers and scored 25 points off of those turnovers.
The Pitt bench had a strong game, outscoring Hofstra's bench 23-7.

Jayla Everett

Everett led all players in scoring for the second straight game as she netted 23 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block across 31 minutes of action.
She finished the game going 5-for-12 from the floor, 3-for-7 from behind the arc and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
The 20-point effort for Everett marked the eighth of her collegiate career and first as a Panther.
Everett now has 34 career games scoring in double figures.
Her 10-for-10 effort at the free throw line were the most made free throws without a miss for the Panthers since Brenna Wise went 13-for-13 in 2017.

Dayshanette Harris

Harris finished off another all-around game for the Panthers with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists while only committing two turnovers in 32 minutes of work Sunday.
The six assists for Harris tied a career-high as she has now led the team in assists 18 times in her Pitt career.
The sophomore has now scored in double figures 18 times in her young career while doing so in both games this season.
Harris closed out her strong game with a +21 rating, the best among all players.

Destiny Strother

Strother had the best game of her young career on Sunday as she came off the bench and netted eight points, a steal and a rebound in the win.
She finished off her afternoon going 3-for-6 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc.
The eight points and two made three-pointers were both career-highs for Strother.
She also posted a career-high 14 minutes played in the win.

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