University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
1-1,0-0ACC
West Virginia
2-0,0-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 23 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 71 |
| Pittsburgh | 16 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 62 |
King’s Career Game Not Enough; Pitt Falls To West Virginia, 71-62
11/11/2023 5:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (1-1, 0-0 ACC) battled until the end but fell 71-62 to the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) in the 48th edition of the Backyard Brawl Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
Senior Liatu King had a monster game in the loss for Pitt as she tallied a career-high 28 points in the contest to go along with 14 rebounds for her 11th career double-double. King has now secured back-to-back double-doubles to open the season. Fellow forward Rapuluchi Ayodele had a strong game as she netted a career-high 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for her first double-double as a Panther. Transfer guard Bella Perkins recorded eight points while playing all 40 minutes.
Pitt held the 46-29 advantage on the boards including a 19-10 edge in offensive rebounds while scoring 21 second chance points to just six for WVU. The Panthers also scored a season-high 42 points in the paint while the Mountaineers forced 28 Pitt turnovers which helped them secure the road win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers found themselves in an early 14-8 deficit despite shooting a strong 57% from the field. King dominated the paint in the first quarter, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds and West Virginia took the 23-16 lead into the second quarter.
Pitt continued to chip into the Mountaineer lead in the second quarter and were sparked by a ferocious two-handed block by King. She had eight in the quarter, joined by Ayodele who scored five in second for the Panthers. West Virginia entered halftime leading the game 39-29 despite a game-high 14 points from King.
The Panthers raced out of the gates to begin the second half, starting on a 10-0 run. Ayodele grabbed her 10th rebound of the game at the 9:22 mark in the quarter, giving her her first career double-double. An Aislin Malcolm drive to the basket and tough finish gave the Panthers their first lead of the game, 40-39, with 6:46 left in the third quarter. The Mountaineers retook the lead and ended the third quarter leading by seven, 54-47.
Ayodele started the fourth strong for the Panthers, blocking her third shot of the game which led to a pair of free throws for King who cut into the WVU lead early on. A couple minutes later, Perkins hit her second three pointer of the game to cut the West Virginia lead to five, 59-54, with 6:30 left in the game. Pitt just couldn't get any closer down the stretch as the Mountaineers went up as many as 10 late in the fourth and secured the 71-62 victory.
GAME NOTES
- With the loss, Pitt is 29-19 all-time against the Mountaineers. West Virginia has won six straight in the all-time series
- King scored a career-high 28 points marking her fourth 20+ point game of her career
- The double-double marked her 11th of her Pitt career. She now has secured back-to-back double-doubles to start the season for the first time in her career
- Ayodele finished off her first career double-double as a Panther with a career-high 18 points and career-high 14 rebounds.
- The Panthers scored a season-high 42 points in the paint and a season-high 21 second chance points
UP NEXT
- The Panthers travel to Fairfax, Virginia to take on George Mason on Wednesday, November 15 for a 4:00 pm tip
- The contest will mark the fourth meeting of all-time between the two programs with Pitt owning the 3-0 series lead
