Pitt
4-5,0-0ACC
Binghamton
2-7,0-0America East
King Leads Panthers Past Binghamton on ASL Deaf Awareness Night, 73-62
12/3/2023 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (4-5, 0-0 ACC) defeated the Binghamton Bearcats (2-7, 0-0 AEC) 73-62 at the Petersen Events Center on Sunday night while celebrating the third annual American Sign Language Deaf Appreciation Night. Liatu King, who was raised in a deaf household, scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on 10-15 shooting in the win for Pitt.
King once again led the Pitt offensive attack as she recorded her fifth straight 20+ point game with a game-high 27 points. She is the first Panther since Shavonte Zellous in 2009 to post five straight games with 21+ points. Aislin Malcolm continued her strong play as she netted 18 points on 50% shooting to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Gabby Hutcherson started for the first time this season and grabbed six rebounds in 14 minutes while Jala Jordan contributed eight points off the bench on 3-for-5 from the floor in the win.
The Panthers dominated the paint against Binghamton, scoring 42 inside the area. The Panthers now have scored at least 40 points inside the paint four times through nine games. The Pitt defense also stepped up down the stretch as they didn't allow a Binghamton point for over 10 minutes from the end of the third quarter until late in the fourth quarter.
"That's something we want to do," stated head coach Tory Verdi. "Not only do we want to throw the ball inside, we want to attack downhill and get to the basket."
Along with scoring in the paint, the Panthers shot 49.1% from the floor while holding the Bearcats to just 40% shooting. Pitt also controlled the boards, out-rebounding Binghamton 42-27, with help inside from Rapuluchi Ayodele who pulled down 10 boards off the bench.
How It Happened
Malcolm started the scoring for Pitt on the first possession of the game as she finished off a driving layup. Despite eight early points in the first five minutes for King, the Panthers were in a 16-8 deficit at the first media timeout. Tough jumpers from Aaryn Battle and Bella Perkins kept Pitt within reach at the end of the first, as they trailed 22-14 after the Bearcats made five triples in the quarter.
The Panthers spent the second quarter chipping into the Bearcat lead. King had eight in the quarter, two of which came from a steal and transition layup. Stepping up off the bench for Pitt was Jala Jordan, who had a fadeaway "and-1" and Jasmine Timmerson, who made an acrobatic driving layup through some contact. Malcolm finished the half with an impressive spin-and-scoop layup to give Pitt the 35-34 lead at the break. Leading the Panthers scoring into halftime was King (16), Malcolm (five), and Jordan (five).
Malcolm opened the third frame with five straight points, hitting a layup and a wide open corner three-pointer assisted by Marley Washentiz. A physical Jordan post-up and layup gave Pitt a 47-44 lead at the media timeout. However, a three-minute Pitt scoring drought allowed the Bearcats to take a 54-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Pitt defense took over to start the final frame as they didn't allow the Bearcats to score a bucket through the first eight minutes of the quarter. Pitt opened the quarter on a 14-0 run to take the lead as Malcolm drove to the rim and finished to give the Panthers a two-point lead with 5:38 left in the game. King then broke the game open, scoring an "and-1" and a transition layup off of her own steal. With 2:37 left in the game, King grabbed her 10th rebound, earning a double-double. A Battle step-back three-pointer proved to be the dagger, as Pitt hit six of seven shots down the stretch to secure the 73-62 win.
Game Notes
- With the win, Pitt moves to 4-0 all-time against opponents from the America East Conference including a 1-0 mark against Binghamton in the all-time series
- With the win, Pitt secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season
- King earned her career-high sixth double-double of the season in the win. She is one of five players in the nation to have done so this season
- King is the first player since Shavonte Zellous in 2009 to reach 21+ points in five straight games
- King reaches 10+ points in her ninth straight game
- The Panthers grabbed 29 team defensive rebounds, tying a season-high
- The Panthers made 17 free-throws, tying a season-high
Up Next
- Pitt concludes their three-game homestand when they play host to Lehigh on Sunday, December 10 at the Petersen Events Center
- Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra
