Pitt Heads To The Sunshine State For Sunday Battle With Florida State

PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team (3-2, 1-1 ACC) will be looking for their second straight ACC victory Sunday afternoon as they head south to take on the Florida State Seminoles. The Panthers and Seminoles will tip at 2:00 pm on ACC Network Extra.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Sunday's game will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Tom Block and Shawn Davison on the call. Tune in by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on 1320AM WJAS radio as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from the Pete starting at 1:45 pm with the pregame show. The radio call can be heard by clicking HERE.
Live stats of the game can be found by clicking HERE.
Live updates throughout the game will also be posted on Twitter by following the Pitt women's basketball account @Pitt_WBB.

THE SERIES WITH FLORIDA STATE

Sunday's meeting will mark the eight game between the two programs with the Seminoles winning each of the previous seven games.
The Panthers are 0-3 all-time in games played in Tallahassee.
Florida State won the meeting last season in Pittsburgh by the score of 66-41 despite the game being tied at halftime.

LAST TIME OUT – CLEMSON

The Panthers executed their biggest second half comeback in an ACC game in program history Sunday as they overcame a 14-point third quarter deficit to claim the 80-71 victory over Clemson. It marked the largest comeback win overall since 3/1/15 (15 points).
Pitt was led offensively by sophomore Dayshanette Harris who netted a team-high 21 points in 23 minutes while Jayla Everett added 16 points (10 in the 4th quarter) and Amber Brown scored a season-high 14 points.
Trailing by 12 heading into the final quarter, Everett and Harris took over the game for Pitt. Harris scored eight points in the quarter before fouling out with four minutes to go. Everett took over in Harris' absence as she netted 10 points in the final frame as she netted three triples and a free throw to seal the win.
As a team, Pitt shot 43.8% from the floor while winning the rebounding battle 43-39 and outscoring the Tigers 20-14 in fast break scoring.

STORYLINES

Junior Jayla Everett has been great for the Panthers early on as she leads the team and ranks second in the ACC in scoring (19.6 ppg). The St. Louis, MO native has also connected on 21 three-pointers and ranks third in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage (51.2%).
Head Coach Lance White will be making his second trip down to Tallahassee since coming to Pittsburgh. White spent 15 years at Florida State as an assistant coach and associate head coach, leading the Seminoles to a 350- 145 record including 12 seasons with 20+ victories.

OPENING TIP

Pitt heads south to Tallahassee Sunday, Dec. 20 (2 p.m. - ACC Network Extra) in search of their second straight ACC victory as they battle Florida State.
The Pitt backcourt duo of Jayla Everett and Dayshanette Harris are the second highest scoring backcourt in the ACC overall this season (35.2 ppg) and the highest scoring backcourt in ACC games only (40.0 ppg - min. 2 GP).
The Pitt offense is off to a great start this season as they have netted 70+ points in each of their first five games, marking the first time they've done so since 2007-08 when they advanced to the Sweet 16.

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS

The Pitt offense is off to its best start to a season since joining the ACC as they have connected on 43.9% from the floor and 37.0% from behind the arc through five games.
The Panthers have shot at least 40% from the floor in all five games this season, the first time they have done that since 2001-02 when they did it in the first six games of the season.
The 43.9 field goal percentage through the first five games of the season is the best for Pitt since shooting 47.9% through the first five games in 2010-11.
The three-point shooting has been the biggest area of improvement as the Panthers went from 13th in the conference last season in three-point field goal percentage (29.1%) to fourth in the ACC this season (37.0%).
The Panthers have shot a better percentage from the floor than all five of their opponents this season. Under coach White, Pitt owns a 17-6 record when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponent.
Pitt is also 8-2 under White when shooting at least 45% from the floor.

PANTHERS RACKING UP THE POINTS

The Panthers have scored 70+ points in all five games this season, marking the first time Pitt has done that in their first five games of a season since the 2007-08 campaign when they opened the season with seven straight games with 70+ points scored. The 2007-08 Pitt team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
Pitt has scored 70+ points in each of their first two ACC games for the first time in program history.
Last time out, the Panthers netted 80 points for just the fifth time in an ACC game in program history. The Panthers are 5-0 when they score at least 80 points in a conference game.
The offense has also put together two of the best scoring quarters since the NCAA switched to the four quarter format in 2015-16. Pitt netted 32 points in the 1st quarter vs. Virginia Tech and 31 points in the 4th quarter vs. Clemson.

Highest Scoring Quarters Since NCAA Implemented Quarters (2015-16)
Date                             Opponent                          Quarter               Points
12/10/20                    Virginia Tech                     1st                        32
2/6/17                         Virginia Tech                     4th                        32
12/13/20                    Clemson                             4th                        31
11/23/16                    Slippery Rock                    2nd                       30
11/9/18                      New Orleans                     2nd                       30
12/20/15                    Rider                                   3rd                        29
12/17/19                    Miami (OH)                       4th                        29

EZEJA AND KING HAVE BIG GAMES IN WIN OVER CLEMSON

Cynthia Ezeja and Liatu King each provided big sparks off the Pitt bench on Sunday to propel the Panthers to the win over Clemson.
Ezeja came off the bench for the best game of her Pitt career as she grabbed 11 rebounds, seven offensive, and four points. Her energy and rebounding were a difference for the Panthers.
King provided an offensive spark for Pitt when they needed it as she posted a career-high 11 points off the bench while going 4-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. The 11-point outing marked the first double digit scoring game for King.

NEXT UP

Pitt will have an 11-day break before returning to play at home Thursday, Dec. 31 as they welcome Boston College to the Pete for a 2:00 pm tip. The game against the Eagles will air live on ACC Network Extra.

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