Pitt Looks For Second Straight ACC Win Thursday At Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, VA – The Pitt women's basketball team (10-7, 1-5 ACC) looks for their second straight ACC victory Thursday night as they head to Blacksburg, VA to do battle with the Virginia Tech Hokies. Thursday's game will tip at 8:00 pm inside the Cassell Coliseum and air live on the ACC Network.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game will air live on ACC Network with Jenn Hildreth and Debbie Antonelli on the call. You can watch the game by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on the radio on WJAS 1320 AM or 99.1 FM as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from Louisville starting at 7:45 pm. Listen to the call 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

This marks the 18^th meeting off all-time between the two programs with Virginia Tech holding the 12-5 lead in the series.
The Hokies have won five straight in the series including two against the Panthers last season.
The Panthers last win in the series came on February 16, 2017.
Virginia Tech is 7-1 against the Panthers in games played in Blacksburg.

ABOUT THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech enters Thursday's game with a 13-4 overall record and a 5-1 ACC mark. The Hokies have won two straight ACC games.
The Hokies are being led offensively by one of the best players in the nation, Elizabeth Kitley. The junior is averaging 18.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks while shooting 55.4% from the floor. She leads the ACC in blocks (55) and ranks 2nd in the in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
Senior Aisha Sheppard is enjoying a good start to her final season as she is averaging 13.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists while connecting on a team-high 50 three-pointers.
As a team, the Hokies average 70.3 points per game while allowing 54.5 points per contest. They grab an average of 37.7 rebounds/game while allowing 33.4 boards against per game.

STORYLINES

The Panthers have continued to put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball and it has paid off in a major way. Pitt currently ranks 9th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (44.7) and 7th in total rebounds (760). The Panthers have recorded at least 35 rebounds in 17 straight games to start the season, a new program record.
Pitt has been able to get to the free throw line at a high rate as they rank 3rd in the NCAA in free throw attempts (374) while ranking 17th in free throws made (239). Junior Amber Brown leads the ACC and ranks 17th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (98).

THE OPENING TIP

The Panthers hit the road for Virginia Tech Thursday night for a 8:00 pm tip on the ACC Network.
Junior Dayshanette Harris has taken her play to a new level over the last three games as she has led Pitt in scoring in all the contests. Over her last three she is averaging 28.3 minutes, 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 44.4% from deep. Last time out, Hariis notched a season-high seven assists in the win over Wake Forest.
With her third rebound on Sunday afternoon, junior Amber Brown became the fastest Panther in the last 20 years (67 games) to record 550 career points, 450 career rebounds and 100 career assists.

LAST TIME OUT – VS. WAKE FOREST

The Panthers led for most of the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons as they collected their first ACC victory of the season, 65-57.
Pitt was led offensively once again by Dayshanette Harris who netted 14 points and seven assists. The junior tied a career-high going 3-of-5 from behind the arc in the win. Jayla Everett also netted 11 points and a career-high four blocks in the win.
The Panthers were +9 in the turnover category (21-12) as they turned those opportunities into 15 points while Wake only netted six off of their mishaps.

DEFENSE STEPPING UP

So far this season, Pitt is holding opponents to just 35.7% from the floor.
Pitt ranks sixth in the ACC and 36th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense this season.
Pitt has held each of their first six ACC opponents to less than 45% shooting, marking the first time in program history the Panthers have done so. On the year, Pitt has held all 17 opponents to less than 45% shooting from the field.
The Panthers have held four opponents to 30% or less shooting from the floor this season. It marks the most such games since 2017-18 when Pitt held four opponents to less than 30% from the floor in 30 games played.
Pitt has held 12 of 17 opponents to less than 40% from the floor, the most through 17 games since 2017-18 (13 of 17 opponents).
The Panthers have shot a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents seven times this season and they own a 7-2 record in those contests. Since White took over the program, Pitt is 24-11 when they shoot better than their opponent.

MALIYAH JOHNSON MAKES FIRST CAREER START

Freshman wing Maliyah Johnson has continued to improve this season and it earned her first career start Sunday in the win over Wake Forest.
The lone freshman on the Pitt roster, Johnson finished off her first start with a career-high seven points and four rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes. She finished the game going 3-of-5 and made a huge impact with her energy and length.
So far this season, she is averaging 12.5 minutes, 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while adding seven assists and six steals.
Over her last three games, Johnson is averaging 17.7 minutes, 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the floor (7-of-12).

NEXT UP

Pitt returns home Sunday afternoon as they welcome the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a 2:00 pm tip inside the Petersen Events Center. Sunday's game will air on ACC Network Extra.

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Pitt Looks For Second Straight ACC Win Thursday At Virginia Tech

Players Mentioned

Amber Brown

Jayla Everett

Dayshanette Harris

Maliyah Johnson

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