Pitt Opens Two-Game Road Trip At Virginia Thursday Night

Thursday, January 25

Charlottesville, VA

7 PM

Pitt

Virginia

Pitt Opens Two-Game Road Trip At Virginia Thursday Night

1/24/2024 1:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball

vs Drexel

Nov 4, 2025 at 6 PM

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GAME 20

Pitt at Virginia

Jan. 25, 2024 / 7:00 PM / Charlottesville, VA (John Paul Jones Arena) / ACC Network Extra

GAME NOTES

SCHEDULE

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women’s basketball team (6-13, 0-6 ACC) returns to the road Thursday night as they travel to Charlottesville, VA to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (9-9, 1-6 ACC). The Panthers and Cavaliers will tip at 7:00 pm from John Paul Jones Arena and the game will air on ACC Network Extra.

HOW FOLLOW

Thursday’s game will air on ACC Network Extra or it can be streamed by clicking HERE.
Live stats for Thursday’s game can be found 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 John Paul Jones Arena starting at 6:45 pm. To listen, click HERE.
Live updates throughout the game will also be posted on Twitter by following the Pitt women's basketball account @Pitt_WBB.

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt hits the road for their first of two straight away from home Thursday night as they head to Charlottesville to battle the Virginia Cavaliers. Thursday’s game will tip at 7pm and air on ACC Network Extra.
Senior Liatu King has been the best player on the floor for Pitt all year long. Last time out against Syracuse, she recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds on 12-for-19 shooting. She is the only player in the NCAA this season to average at least 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per game.
King currently ranks inside the top-5 in the ACC in multiple categories including fifth in scoring (19.7 ppg), second in rebounding (9.7 rpg), third in blocks (1.8 bpg), third in field goal percentage (55.8%), second in minutes played (35.4 mpg) and second in double-doubles (10).
Sophomore guard Aislin Malcolm is enjoying her best season as a Panther as she is averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 37.1% from three-point range which leads the ACC. She has scored in double figures a career-high nine times so far this season.
Forward Jala Jordan had another strong game last time out against Syracuse as she netted 15 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes of work. When Jordan plays 20+ minutes (seven games), she is averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the floor.

LET'S GET OFFENSIVE (BOARDS)

The Panthers have been strong on the offensive glass this season especially early on in the season.
Pitt ranks tied for seventh in the ACC averaging 12.8 offensive rebounds per game so far this season while collecting the sixth most overall (243).
Two of the best offensive rebounders in the conference are Panthers’ as Liatu King is tied for second in the ACC averaging 3.5 offensive boards per game and Rapuluchi Ayodele ranks fourth in the conference averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds per game.
King (66) and Ayodele (63) are one of two teammate combos in the nation (LSU - Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow) to each secure at least 63 offensive rebounds on the season.
Pitt is the only team in the ACC to have two players inside the top-10 in offensive rebounds per game so far this season.
Overall, Pitt is the only team in the ACC this season to have two players with at least 132 total rebounds (King - 185, Ayodele - 132). The duo is also one of just 15 in the NCAA to each have at least 132 boards on the season.

Rapuluchi Ayodele ranks fourth in the ACC averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds per game this season

MORE NOTES

SERIES HISTORY – VIRGINIA

This meeting marks the 13th of all-time between the two programs with each team winning six games in the series.
The Panthers won the last meeting between the two teams last year in Pittsburgh, 60-51. King finished the win with 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Pitt is 2-4 against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville with the last road win coming on Jan. 24, 2016 by the score of 58-55.
Virginia has won three straight against Pitt in Charlottesville including the last meeting on Feb. 20, 2022, 74-65.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS

Virginia enters Thursday’s game with a 9-9 overall record and a 1-6 ACC mark as they won last time out at #15 Florida State, 91-87.
The Cavaliers are being led offensively by Camryn Taylor who is averaging 14.7 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 45.9% from the floor. Freshman Kymora Johnson is averaging 13.4 points, a team-high 5.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds while connecting on a team-high 27 three-pointers.
Paris Clark is averaging 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while London Clarkson has started 10 games and is averaging 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds on 49.4% shooting.
As a team, the Cavaliers are averaging 74.4 points per game while allowing 69.1 points per contest which ranks 13th in the conference. They ranks 14th in the ACC in field goal percentage (38.7%) while leading the ACC in free throw percentage (78.4%). Virginia also leads the ACC in rebounds per game (45.7) and ranks second in offensive rebounds per contest (15.8).

LAST TIME OUT – VS. SYRACUSE

Leading by as many as eight in the second quarter, the Panthers were not able to hold on as they fell at home to Syracuse on Sunday afternoon, 72-59.
Liatu King led the way for the Panthers with her 10th double-double of the season with a game-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 12-for-19 shooting. Off the bench, Jala Jordan finished with 15 points and five rebounds while Bella Perkins netted 10 points and three assists in 28 minutes of work.
As a team, Pitt shot 42.1% from the floor while holding the Orange to just 36.8% shooting. The two teams were tied in rebounding, 38-38, while Syracuse owned the 25-9 edge in scoring off of turnovers in the win.

JALA JORDAN STEPPING UP

Graduate transfer forward Jala Jordan has been featured more of late and she’s taking advantage of her chances on the offensive end.
So far this season, she is averaging 17.1 minutes, 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 42.7% from the floor and connecting on 73.3% of her free throws.
Last time out against Syracuse, Jordan came off the bench and netted 15 points and five rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting. It marked her third straight game scoring in double figures.
Against Boston College, Jordan paced the Panthers with 18 points, nine rebounds, one steal and one block in a season-high 30 minutes of work. She finished the game going 5-for-9 from the floor while connecting on a career-best 8-for-8 from the line.
She has now scored in double figures seven times this season and 22 times in her career.
Over her last three games, Jordan is averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 57.7% from the floor.
Earlier this year in the win over Lehigh, Jordan netted a career-high 23 points while adding five rebounds. She was an efficient 10-for-15 from the floor in the win.
When Jordan plays 20+ minutes for the Panthers she produces. In the seven games she has played 20+ minutes she is averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the floor.
Dating back to the Notre Dame game on Jan. 4, Jordan has connected on 12 straight free throw attempts for the Panthers.

KING OF THE COURT

Senior Liatu King enters ACC play with her expectations at an all-time high as the Pitt coaching staff has instilled a confidence in her as a go-to option this season.
She is enjoying a career year as she is averaging a team-high 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting 55.8% from the floor.
King currently ranks inside the top-5 in the ACC in multiple categories including scoring (fifth), rebounding (second), blocks (third), field goal percentage (third), double-doubles (second) and minutes per game (second). She is the only player in the conference to rank inside the top-5 in each of those categories.
She is the only player in the nation currently averaging at least 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game on the year.
King is also the only player in the nation with at least 31 assists, 35 steals and 35 blocks so far this season.
So far in ACC play, King is averaging 19.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 61.3% from the floor. She ranks sixth in scoring, fourth in rebounding, second in blocks and second in field goal percentage in ACC games.
Last time out, King notched her 10th double-double of the season with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds against Syracuse.
King ranks second in the NCAA this season with five games with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds (Elizabeth Kitley, VT - 6).
In the loss to Georgia Tech, King notched her ninth double-double of the season as she netted 15 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and two steals against Georgia Tech. She is one of just two players in the ACC over the past 15 seasons to post a game with at least 15 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and two steals (Azura Stevens - Duke - 11/15/15).
She had a career game against #16 Notre Dame as she exploded for a career-high 34 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists while going 13-for-18 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the free throw line. She is one of just three players in the NCAA this season to post a game with at least 34 points and 13 rebounds (Caitlin Clark - Iowa, Aneesah Morrow - LSU) while being the only player in the country to also add three blocks in the same game.
The 34 points for King are the second most by a Pitt player at the Petersen Events Center trailing only Asia Logan’s 36 against William & Mary on Nov. 11, 2012.
King is the first opponent to score at least 34 points and 13 rebounds in a game against Notre Dame in the past 15 seasons.
In the win over NKU earlier this year, King went off for 30 points and nine rebounds while going 14-for-18 from the floor. She is the first ACC player in the past two seasons to score 30+ points, grab nine rebounds, make 14 field goals and shoot 77% from the floor in a single game.
King currently ranks 32nd in the NCAA with 35 blocked shots on the season. She is the only player in the NCAA 6 foot tall or shorter with at least 35 blocked shots on the year.
She now has 11 games with multiple steals and 10 games with multiple blocks on the year.
For her career, King has now recorded 19 double-doubles (points + rebounds) including a career-high 10 this season.
She has scored in double figures 42 times in her career while recording multiple blocks 28 times.
A ferocious rebounder, King has grabbed at least five rebounds in 64 of her 94 career games. She has led the Panthers in rebounding 44 times while snagging 10+ boards 25 times in her career.

NEXT UP

Pitt stays on the road Sunday, Jan. 28 as they travel to Louisville to battle #18 Louisville Cardinals. Sunday’s game from the KFC Yum! Center tips at 2:00 pm and will air on ACC Network Extra.Pitt returns to the road Thursday, Jan. 25 as they head to Charlottesville, VA to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Thursday’s game will tip at 7:00 pm and air on ACC Network Extra.