ACC Play For Women's Hoops Commences Thursday At Virginia Tech

PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team (2-1, 0-0 ACC) opens up ACC play Thursday night on the road against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Tip from Cassell Coliseum is set for 6:00 pm and the game will air live on ACC Network Extra with Evan Hughes and Mack McCarthy on the call.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game will be aired live on ACC Network Extra 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 5:45 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 VIRGINIA TECH

Thursday's game marks the 16th meeting of all-time between the two programs.
Virginia Tech owns the 10-5 edge in the all-time series including winning three straight.
The Hokies are 6-1 all-time in games in Blacksburg against the Panthers with Pitt's lone win on the road coming on Feb. 14, 2016.

STORYLINES

The Panthers will be looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season Sunday. In the loss, Pitt had a season-high four players score in double figures while shooting 49.2% from the floor as a team.
Junior Jayla Everett has been everything the Panthers could've asked for as she has led the offensive attack for Pitt in all three games. The St. Louis, MO product currently ranks second in the ACC in scoring (20.3 ppg) while also ranking third in the conference in three-point shooting (47.8%).

OPENING TIP

Pitt travels to Virginia Tech to open up ACC play Thursday, Dec. 10 (6 p.m. - ACCNX) in the 16th meeting of all-time between the two teams. Evan Hughes and Mack McCarthy will be on the call from Cassell Coliseum.
The Panthers offense is off to their best start under Coach White as they are averaging 74.0 ppg while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 36.7% from behind the arc.
Pitt has out-rebounded all three opponents this year as they are averaging 47.3 rpg while holding opponents to just 39.0 rpg.

LAST TIME OUT – DELAWARE

The Panthers fell at home to Delaware, 85-79, thanks to a season-high 24 turnovers that the Blue Hens turned into 25 points.
Pitt shot a season-high 49.1% from the floor and connected on nine three-pointers but the turnovers killed them down the stretch.
Junior Jayla Everett was once again the best player on the floor for the Panthers as she netted a team-high 20 points and four assists while Rita Igbokwe notched her second career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
As a team, the Panthers held the 47-34 edge in rebounds while being outscored 25-2 in points off of turnovers.

THE JAY AND DAY SHOW

Heading into the 2020-21 campaign, the Panthers knew they would be relying on their talented guards to produce at a high level and through three games they haven't disappointed.
In Sunday's game against Delaware, Jayla Everett and Dayshanette Harris combined to score 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Everett has now led the Panthers in scoring in all three games while Harris has scored in double figures in each game this season and in 11 straight games dating back to last season.
For Everett, the 20 point game marked her 35th game scoring in double figures and ninth scoring 20+ while Harris has 19 career double digit scoring games for the Panthers.

PANTHERS RACKING UP THE POINTS

The problem over the past couple seasons for Pitt has been their lack of offensive firepower. So far this season, the Pitt offense has been able to produce at a high clip.
On Sunday, the Pitt offense was able to shoot a season-high 49.1% from the floor against Delaware. The 49.1% shooting night was the best team shooting effort for Pitt in 39 games when they connected on 59% of their shots in a home victory over North Carolina on Feb. 14, 2019.
The Panthers have scored 70+ points in all three games, marking the first time Pitt has done that in their first three games of a season since the 2014-15 season.
As a team, Pitt is shooting 43.8% from the floor this season which is the best team shooting effort through three games since 2010-11 when they shot 44.9% through the first three games.

EVERETT MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT

After earning immediate eligibility after her transfer from New Mexico, Jayla Everett didn't waste much time making a strong first impression for the Panthers.
The St. Louis, MO product is enjoying a great start to her Pitt career as she is averaging 31.0 mpg, 20.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.7 apg while shooting 45% from the floor and 47.8% from behind the arc.
Everett currently ranks second in the ACC in scoring (20.3 ppg), tied for first in free throw percentage (100%), third in three-pointers made/game (3.7) and third in three-point field goal percentage (47.8%).
Last time out against Delaware, Everett led the Panthers in scoring for the third straight game as she netted 20 points and a season-high four assists. She finished the game going 4-for-9 from deep.
Everett is the first Pitt player in over 20 seasons to net at least 18 points in each of the first three games of the season.
Her 61 points scored through three games are the most by a Pitt player since Asia Logan had 68 points through three games in 2012-13.
The 61 total points for Everett are the most scored by a Pitt newcomer in their first three career games in over 20 seasons.
The 20 point effort gives Everett 35 career games scoring in double figures including nine games with 20+ points scored (two straight).
She has made three or more three-pointers in each game this season and in 16 games over her career.
Across her career at New Mexico, Everett posted averages of 12.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds while starting 48 games.
The lengthy guard out of St. Louis was the 2018-19 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year after posting freshman year averages of 13.5 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.5 rpg and 1.2 spg while setting a program freshman record with 417 points scored.

NEXT UP

Pitt will return home for their second ACC game Sunday at noon as they welcome the Clemson Tigers to the Petersen Events Center. Sunday's game will air live on the ACC Network with Sam Ravech and Kelly Gramlich on the call.
Pitt will then travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State Sunday, Dec. 20 in their final game before the Christmas break. The game against the Seminoles will tip at 2:00 pm and air on ACC Network Extra.

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