Pitt
3-5,0-0ACC
Saint Francis (PA)
0-7,0-0NEC
Panthers Coast to 87-62 Home Victory Over Saint Francis
11/29/2023 10:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (3-5, 0-0 ACC) notched a dominant 87-62 victory over the Saint Francis Red Flash (0-7, 0-0 NEC) on Wednesday night inside the Petersen Events Center. Senior forward Liatu King continued to impress, leading the Panthers by scoring a team-high 23 points in the contest.
Freshman Aaryn Battle put on a show for the home crowd, netting a career-high 11 points, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc. The starting backcourt of Battle and Marley Washenitz combined to dish out 15 assists, which helped Pitt reach their largest home point total (87) this season. Rapuluchi Ayodele finished her strong night with 14 points and 12 rebounds for her second career double-double as a Panther.
For the game, Pitt dished out 26 assists on 31 made field goals while shooting 47.0% from the floor in the victory. Pitt held the 42-32 edge in rebounds while also winning the paint scoring battle (38-24) and points off turnovers battle (20-8). The Panthers protected the ball, especially in the second half, as they turned it over 11 times compared to 20 by the Red Flash.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers started out hot from the floor, opening the game on a 10-2 run. Aislin Malcolm sparked the hot start, splashing a three-pointer and a jump shot on Pitt's first two possessions. Spurred by a Gabby Hutcherson turnaround jumper, Pitt closed the quarter on a 14-2 run that saw five different players hit shots. Pitt's defense forced four Saint Francis turnovers in the final three minutes of the frame, giving the Panthers the 26-14 lead at the end of the first.
Shooting woes hurt the Panthers in the second quarter, as a four-minute scoring drought allowed the Red Flash to go on an 11-0 run. King shifted the momentum hitting two jumpers and a pair of free throws to extend the Panther lead to 40-31 at halftime. Leading the Panthers offensive attack into halftime was King (10), Malcolm (nine), and Hutcherson (six).
Pitt extended their lead in the second half, led by King's dominant effort in the paint. She scored seven in the frame shooting 100% from the field. Bella Perkins added offense off the bench, netting two pivotal three-pointers in the quarter. The Panthers suffocating defense forced the Red Flash to shoot 6-for-17 from the field, which helped Pitt increase its lead to 62-46 at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, Pitt scored six points in a 30 second span to extend their lead to 28 points, their largest of the contest. The Panthers scored 25 in the quarter, helping them secure the 87-62 home victory.
Game Notes
- With the win, Pitt improved to 11-3 all-time against Saint Francis and have won five straight in the series. The Panthers are also 8-1 all-time against the Red Flash in Pittsburgh
- Pitt had six players score in double figures for the first time in over two years
- King finished off her night with 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 36 minutes. She has now scored 20+ points in a career-high four straight games for the Panthers
- Battle finished off her night with a career-high 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win
- Ayodele notched her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 23 minutes of work. She also went 8-for-8 at the free throw line
- Hutcherson came off the bench and scored a season-high 10 points and four assists in 12 minutes of work
- Malcolm scored in double figures for the fourth straight game as she netted 14 points
- As a team, Pitt notched a season-high 26 assists on 31 made field goals. The 26 assists are the most in a game for Pitt since collected 26 in a win over Bryant on Nov. 16, 2022
- The Panthers made a season-high 17 free throws in the win
- Pitt tied a season-high with eight made three-pointers
- The 18 forced turnovers for Pitt marked their most in a game so far this season
What's Next
- The Panthers look to stay hot as they host Binghamton on Sunday, December 3rd at the Petersen Events Center. Tip-off is set for 6 PM and the game can be streamed in ACC Network Extra. Sunday's game will be the 3rd annual ASL Deaf Awareness game for the Panthers as they will be giving out ASL H2P t-shirts to the first 500 fans in attendance
