Pitt Welcomes WVU For 48th Backyard Brawl Saturday Afternoon At The Pete

Saturday, November 11

Pittsburgh, PA

2 PM

Pitt

West Virginia

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Pitt Welcomes WVU For 48th Backyard Brawl Saturday Afternoon At The Pete

11/10/2023 2:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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PITTSBURGH - The Pitt women's basketball team (1-0, 0-0 ACC) will be searching for their fourth straight 2-0 start to the season Saturday afternoon as they host the West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) at the Petersen Events Center for the 48^th edition of the Backyard Brawl game. Saturday's game will tip at 2:00 pm and air live on ACC Network Extra.

HOW FOLLOW

Saturday's game will air live on ACC Network Extra by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on pittsburghpanthers.com as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from the Pete starting at 6:45 pm. To listen, click 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.

STORYLINES

The Panthers opened their 2023-24 campaign with an impressive 79-74 victory over a veteran Yale squad. It marked first-year head coach Tory Verdi's first win as Pitt head coach.
The efficient Pitt offensive attack in the season opening win saw four players score in double figures. The Panthers shot 43.3% from the floor and scored 79 points, a total they only achieved three times all last season.
Senior forward Liatu King had a huge first game of the season for Pitt in the win over Yale as she notched her 10th career double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds in 30 minutes of work. King went an efficient 5-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the free throw line.

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt returns home Saturday for the 48th edition of the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia. Tip is set for 2:00 pm on ACC Network Extra.
Junior transfer Bella Perkins exploded on the scene for Pitt in the season opening win over Yale as she netted a game-high 21 points, two assists and two steals. The 21-point effort for Perkins marked the most by a Pitt transfer in her first game since joining the ACC in 2013-14.
Jala Jordan had an impressive debut for the Panthers as she scored 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench. Tuesday's game also marked her 100th career game.

SERIES HISTORY – BACKYARD BRAWL

This meeting marks the 48th between the two programs all-time. The Mountaineers currently lead the series 28-19 over the Panthers.
The Mountaineers have won five straight in the series including the last meeting between the two teams in 2018 by the score of 77-43 in Pittsburgh.
The Panthers last win in the series came on Feb. 5, 2011 when they earned the 60-53 road win over WVU.
Pitt holds the slim 12-11 advantage in the series in games played at Pitt. WVU has won each of the past four games between the two teams in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

The West Virginia Mountaineers enter Saturday's game with a 1-0 record after downing Loyola (MD) 74-39 in their season opener Tuesday. It marked the first win for first-year head coach Mark Kellogg.
WVU was led offensively by JJ Quinerly who netted 19 points while going 4-for-7 from behind the arc. SFA transfer Jordan Harrison finished off her first game with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.
As a team, WVU shot 43.9% from the floor and 52.2% from deep as they connected on 12 triples. They also earned the 35-22 edge in rebounds while scoring 26 points off Loyola's 22 turnovers.

LAST TIME OUT - YALE

Pitt opened the Tory Verdi Era with a hard-fought 79-74 victory over the pesky Yale Bulldogs Tuesday night at the Pete.
Pitt led by as many as 15 in the third quarter but the Bulldogs fought back late to make it a two-point game with under five minutes to play. Bella Perkins, appearing in her first game at Pitt, took over the game in the final two minutes as she buried a pair of logo triples to secure the home opening win for the Panthers.
The balanced offensive attack for Pitt was led by Perkins who netted a career-high 21 points while knocking down three triples, dishing out a pair of assists and earning two steals. Liatu King capped her night with a double-double as she finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and three blocks while battling foul trouble in the second half.
Off the bench, Jala Jordan made a big impact as she netted 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 26 minutes while Marley Washenitz finished her strong opener tying a career-high with 11 points to go along with a team-high seven assists. Rapuluchi Ayodele also finished her night with nine points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive) in the win.
As a team, Pitt grabbed 41 rebounds (17 offensive) while holding the Bulldogs to 40 in the win. The Panthers had two players (King, Ayodele) grabbed at least 10 rebounds in the win, marking the first season opener with two players with 10+ rebounds since the 2017-18 season against Youngstown State (Walters & Diop).
Pitt scored 40 points in the paint and 18 points off of Yale turnovers while shooting 43.3% from the floor and making 17 free throws in the win.

PERKINS GOES OFF IN DEBUT FOR PITT

Junior guard Bella Perkins was a highly sought after recruit out of high school and once again in the portal this summer.
The former Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year in high school decided to come to Pitt because of her connection with the staff and team while also being closer to home.
In her debut game in the blue and gold, Perkins was electric for the Panthers as she netted a game-high 21 points, two assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action.
She finished her game going 9-for-20 from the field and 3-for-8 from behind the arc but most of her damage came in the fourth quarter when Pitt needed her the most. The sharpshooter buried a pair of threes from the center court logo with under three minutes to go to seal the win for the Panthers over Yale.
The 21 points were a career-high for Perkins and it also marked the most points scored by a Pitt transfer in their first game with the team since joining the ACC in 2013-14.

EFFICIENT OFFENSIVE ATTACK

The Pitt offense looked noticeably improved in the season opening win over Yale Tuesday.
Pitt saw four players score in double figures in the season opener led by Bella Perkins (21), Liatu King (16), Jala Jordan (14) and Marley Washenitz (11). Perkins and Washenitz each had career-highs in scoring for Pitt.
The Panthers finished the win with 79 points while shooting 43.3% from the floor. Last season, Pitt topped the 79-point plateau just three times while they shot 43.3% or better just seven times in 30 games.
The Panthers also protected the ball as they committed just 11 turnovers in the game. They also limited Yale to just nine points scored off their turnovers. Last season, Pitt only had three games with only 11 turnovers.

NEXT UP

Pitt hits the road for their first game away from home Wednesday, Nov. 15 as they travel to Fairfax, VA to take on George Mason in a non-conference game.
Wednesday's game will tip at 4:00 pm.

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