Panthers Set To Welcome Syracuse For 15th Annual Pink The Pete Game Sunday

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (11-12, 2-10 ACC) returns home Sunday afternoon to play host to the Syracuse Orange for their 15^th annual Pink The Pete game to raise awareness for those affected by breast cancer. Sunday's game will tip at 2:00 pm and will air live on ACC Network.

GAME PROMOTION

Sunday's game will be the 15^th annual Pink The Pete game for the Panthers. The Panthers will be wearing pink jerseys and accessories as they look to raise awareness for those affected by breast cancer.
Pink The Pete t-shirts, poms and rally towels will be handed out to all fans (while supplies last). Oakland Zoo Pink The Pete t-shirts will also be handed out to students who attend the game.
The Panthers will do an in-game recognition of those who have/have been cured of breast cancer.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Sunday's game will air live on ACC Network with Angel Gray (play-by-play) and Chelsea Gray (color) 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 1:45 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 SYRACUSE

This meeting marks the 68^th of all-time between the two programs with the Orange owning the 48-19 lead in the series. Pitt has played Syracuse more than any other opponent in program history.
The Orange have won 21 straight games in the series including 10 straight in Pittsburgh. The 21-game losing streak to Syracuse marks the second longest in program history for Pitt against a single opponent (currently 27 straight losses to UConn).
Syracuse is 20-12 all-time in games played in Pittsburgh.
The Panthers' last victory in the series came on Jan. 24, 2009 when they downed the Orange 77-75 in the Carrier Dome.

ABOUT THE ORANGE

Syracuse enters Sunday's game with a 10-12 overall record and a 3-9 ACC mark. Cuse is coming off of a 77-70 win at Virginia last time out.
The Orange have five players scoring in double figures led by Teisha Hyman who is averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals while shooting 41.6% from the floor.
Chrislyn Carr is enjoying a strong season as she is averaging 14.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while connecting on 38 three-pointers.
Alaysia Styles is averaging 10.2 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds while making 47.3% of her shots on the year.
As a team, the Orange are averaging 73.4 points while allowing 71.8 points. They are grabbing 36.3 rebounds per game while allowing 44.2 rebounds per game by their opponents.

STORYLINES

The Panthers have continued to put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball and it has paid off in a major way. Pitt currently leads the ACC and ranks 8th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (44.9) and 8th in total rebounds (1,032). The Panthers have grabbed at least 35 rebounds in all 23 games to start the season, a new program record.
As a team, the Panthers have been strong defensively including blocking shots at a high rate. Pitt currently ranks third in the ACC and 21st in the NCAA in blocked shots (111). Junior Rita Igbokwe has 49 blocks on the year as she is just four blocks away from 10th place on the Panthers' all-time blocks list.

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt plays host to Syracuse on Sunday at 2pm for their 15th annual "Pink The Pete" game to raise awareness for breast cancer. Sunday's game will air on ACC Network.
Pitt and South Carolina (#1 FG% defense) are the only Power 5 teams to hold all 23 opponents to 45% or less shooting from the floor this season.
Senior Jayla Everett is leading the Panthers and ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring (13.7 ppg) so far this season. Last time out, Everett netted her 16th game in double figures as she finished with 18 points while connecting on a season-high four three-pointers at North Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT AT #23 NORTH CAROLINA (2-10-22)

The Panthers comeback attempt fell just short Thursday night at #23 North Carolina. Pitt trailed by as many as 22 but cut their deficit to seven in the fourth before falling 64-54 on the road.
Jayla Everett led the Panthers with 18 points while connecting on 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Amber Brown finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Rita Igbokwe had seven points, seven rebounds and five blocks in the loss.
As a team, the Panthers shot 40.7% from the floor but they were outrebounded 43-36. North Carolina also went 20-for-26 from the free throw line while Pitt was limited to just 1-for-4 from the charity stripe.

15^TH ANNUAL PINK THE PETE GAME

Sunday's annual Pink The Pete game is a special one as it marks the 15th season the Panthers have hosted the breast cancer awareness game at the Pete.
Pitt owns a 4-10 record all-time in their Pink The Pete games as they have hosted seven nationally-ranked opponents in those contests.
The Panthers' record attendance for Pink The Pete was 6,443 against Cincinnati in 2009.

PINK THE PETE ALL-TIME RESULTS
Date      Opponent     Result                  Attendance
2/17/08 #2 UConn      L, 90-64                   6,253
2/21/09 Cincinnati      W, 68-53                  6,443
2/14/10 Louisville       W, 72-69                  4,168
2/19/11 #21 WVU      L, 90-79                   5,368
2/25/12 Seton Hall     L, 63-39                   2,814
2/23/13 Georgetown L, 72-70                   3,090
2/16/14 Clemson       W, 56-43                  3,305
1/4/15 BC                W, 78-70 3,921
2/2/16   #23 Syracuse L, 70-56 4,151
2/26/17 #20 Syracuse L, 73-57 4,212
1/28/18 #18 Duke      L, 58-46 2,430
2/10/19 #25 Miami    L, 65-51 2,495
2/1/20   #14 FSU        L, 66-41                   2,142
2/22/21 Notre Dame. L, 59-48 500*

*2021 Pink The Pete game was limited to just 500 fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

EVERETT CONTINUES TO BE A THREAT

Senior captain Jayla Everett has embraced her role as the Panthers' go to option this season. She currently ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring (13.7 ppg) through her 19 games played.
Last time out, Everett paced the Panthers with 18 points, two rebounds and two assists while connecting on 4-of-5 from behind the arc in the loss.
She has recorded multiple assists in six of her last seven games and in 12 games overall this season. She also leads the team with 23 steals on the year.
Everett ranks 2nd on the team with 35 three-pointers on the year. Last season she set a program record making 2.7 threes per game.
She has 10 games with 20+ points in her Pitt career and 17 overall.
She has scored in double figures in 16 of her 19 games this season and in 31 of her 38 games overall at Pitt.
Everett has made two or more three-pointers in 27 of her 38 games for Pitt and 40 of her 88 career games overall.
She has scored 15+ points a team-high nine times this season including in four of her last six games.

NEXT UP

The Panthers will hit the road for their next three games as they head to Boston College on Tuesday, Miami on Thursday and Virginia on Sunday. The three games in six days stretch will be the Panthers' first such stretch of the season.

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