Women's Hoops Set to Host Boston College On New Year's Eve

PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team (3-3, 1-2 ACC) will be looking to close out the 2020 calendar year with a victory on Thursday afternoon as they welcome the Boston College Eagles to the Petersen Events Center for a conference showdown. Tip is set for 2:00 pm and the game will air live on ACC Network Extra.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game will be aired live on ACC Network Extra with Jason Earle and Shayla Scott 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 BOSTON COLLEGE

Thursday's meeting marks the 39th of all-time between the two programs with Boston College holding the 30-18 edge in the series.
Boston College owns the 13-10 lead in the series in games played in Pittsburgh.
The Eagles have won four straight with Pitt's last win coming Jan. 5, 2017 at home.

LAST TIME OUT – AT FLORIDA STATE

The Panthers struggled offensively against Florida State as they shot a season-low 30.4% from the floor in a 67-53 road loss.
The Panthers were led offensively by Dayshanette Harris who netted a team-high 18 points while Gabbie Green added 11 points in the loss. For the second straight game, Cynthia Ezeja led the Panthers in rebounding with 11 rebounds in the loss.
Pitt struggled to take care of the ball as they committed 23 turnovers while also missing multiple layups and easy shots in the lane.
For the game, Pitt held the 47-38 edge in rebounds including a 19-8 edge in offensive boards.

STORYLINES

Junior Jayla Everett has been great for the Panthers early on as she leads the team and ranks third in the ACC in scoring (17.7 ppg). The St. Louis, MO native has also connected on 23 three-pointers and ranks second in the ACC in three-point shooting percentage (47.9%).
Rebounding has always been an emphasis for head coach Lance White and the Panthers are starting to take it to heart. Pitt is averaging 43.8 rpg so far this season, +4.1 rpg margin from a season ago and a +8.3 rpg margin since White took over the program prior to the 2018-19 season.

OPENING TIP

Pitt returns to action Thursday, Dec. 31 against Boston College at the Petersen Events Center. Tip is set for 2:00 pm with the game airing on ACC Network Extra.
The Pitt backcourt duo of Jayla Everett and Dayshanette Harris are the second highest scoring backcourt in the ACC overall this season (33.7 ppg) and the highest scoring backcourt in ACC games only (35.3 ppg - min. 2 GP).
The Pitt offense is off to a great start this season as they have netted 70+ points in five of their first six games of the season, 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 six games.
The Panthers have shot at least 40% from the floor in five of their first six games this season, the first time they have done so since 2001-02 when they did it in each of the first six games of the season.
The 41.4% field goal percentage through the first six games of the season is the best for Pitt since shooting 47.2% through the first six 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 eighth in the ACC this season (33.9%).
As a team, Pitt has connected on 42 three-pointers through the first six games, the most through the first six games since 2014-15 when they netted 46 triples.
The Panthers have shot a better percentage from the floor than five of their six opponents this season. Under Coach White, Pitt owns a 17-6 record when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponent and just a 2-43 record when being outshot by their opponent.

PANTHERS RACKING UP THE POINTS

The Panthers have scored 70+ points in five of their six games this season, marking the first time Pitt has done so to start 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 scored 70+ points in each of their first two ACC games for the first time in program history.
In the win over Clemson, 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 BECOMING A FORCE ON THE GLASS

Redshirt freshman forward Cynthia Ezeja has come on strong of late and forced her way into the Panthers' starting lineup.
The talented Ezeja made her first career start in the road loss to Florida State and finished the game with four points, a career-high 11 rebounds and two blocks in a career-high 25 minutes of action.
The Greek forward has two straight games with 10+ rebounds, grabbing at least five offensive rebounds in each contest.
In ACC games, Ezeja ranks third in offensive rebounds (4.7 orpg) and eighth in rebounding (8.3 rpg).

NEXT UP

The Panthers return home on Sunday, Jan. 3 as they play host to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Game time is set for 1:00 pm with AT&T SportsNet and the ACC's Regional Sports Networks televising the game.

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