Pitt
6-11,0-4ACC
#15 Louisville
14-2,3-0ACC
Turnovers Costly As Pitt Falls To #15 Louisville Thursday Night
1/11/2024 9:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (6-11, 0-4 ACC) dropped their fourth straight ACC game to the #15 Louisville Cardinals on Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center. Forward Jala Jordan led the team in scoring netting 11 points, with nine coming from behind the arc.
Senior forward Liatu King scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds but was hindered with foul trouble in the second half. Despite playing a season-low 27 minutes, after picking up her fourth foul, King was able to reach the 900 career point plateau in the loss. Rapuluchi Ayodele finished her game with six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of work off the bench
The Panthers shot 36% from the field and 29% from behind the arc. Pitt lost the rebounding battle 31-29 and was outscored 34-8 in points off turnovers as they turned it over 24 times in the game.
Pitt struggled on offense to open up the first quarter and trailed 12-0 before the Panthers took a timeout. A Jasmine Timmerson corner three-pointer off an Aaryn Battle assist ended the Louisville run. The Panthers responded going on a 7-0 run in 1:09 to cut the Cardinal lead to six. Pitt ended with nine turnovers in the frame and trailed Louisville 20-11 heading into the second quarter.
The Panthers played tenacious defense in the second quarter, holding Louisville to a 3:55 scoring drought that saw the Cardinals shoot 0-4. Jordan worked to chip into the Louisville lead, draining two shots from behind the arc, hustling to grab an offensive rebound, and dishing out an assist. The Panthers rallied, going on a 7-0 run, and holding Louisville scoreless for an additional 3:06. Pitt continued to trail 32-25 at halftime as the Cardinals connected on a triple at the buzzer.
Marley Washenitz opened up the third quarter with a steal which translated into a Jordan three-pointer to cut the Louisville lead to four. Following the strong start, Louisville went on a 9-0 run in 3:18, over which Pitt had five turnovers. Malcolm ended the run, scoring a running floater over a Cardinal defender as Pitt entered the fourth trailing Louisville 48-38.
In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals went on an 11-0 run while the Panthers were held scoreless over 2:35 and turned the ball over three times. With 4:17 left in the contest, King knocked down a jumper to reach 900 career points. Louisville outscored Pitt 26-6 in the fourth quarter to secure the 74-44 road win.
Game Notes
- With the loss, Pitt falls to 2-26 against Louisville all-time, having lost the last 22 games of the series
- In the third quarter, King scored her 900th career point on a midrange jump shot
- Jordan finished with a team-high 11 points, marking her fifth game in double figures this seasin
Up Next
- Pitt travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on Sunday, January 14 to face off against the Boston College Eagles. Tip-off is set for 12 PM and the game can be streamed on ACC Network.
