Pitt
7-13,1-6ACC
Virginia
9-10,1-7ACC
Panthers Knock Off Virginia On The Road Thursday, 56-52
1/25/2024 9:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Behind another double-double from senior forward Liatu King, the Pitt women's basketball team (7-13, 1-6 ACC) collected the first ACC win of head coach Tory Verdi's Pitt career as they knocked off the Virginia Cavaliers 56-52 in Charlottesville Thursday night. King finished the win with 15 points, 16 rebounds and five steals.
Jala Jordan led the Panthers in scoring in the win as she netted 18 points and nine rebounds while Aislin Malcolm finished her game with 11 points, all in the second half.
The Panthers had a good start to the game as King netted a pair of buckets and Jordan finished off an offensive rebound put-back to give Pitt the 6-2 lead just over a minute in. After a pair of free throws by Virginia, Pitt went on a 7-0 run capped by a Jordan triple to force the home team into a timeout with the Panthers leading 13-4. King came out of the timeout and finished off a layup but the Hoos closed the quarter on a 9-0 run as Pitt held the 15-13 lead through 10 minutes.
Marley Washenitz opened the third with a straight away triple to give Pitt the 18-13 lead but the Cavaliers responded with a 10-2 run to regain the 23-20 lead midway through the quarter. Jasmine Timmerson finished off a layup through contact and King connected on a free throw as Virginia took the 26-23 lead into the locker room.
Pitt came out of the locker room on fire as they went on a 12-0 run behind four points from Malcolm and five from Jordan to make it 35-26 in favor of the Panthers. After a three straight by the Cavaliers, Malcolm drilled a triple and Bella Perkins netted two straight jumpers to push the Pitt lead to 45-31. King finished the big quarter for Pitt with a tip in layup at the buzzer to send the game to the fourth with the Panthers leading 47-32.
Jordan opened the fourth with a layup but the Cavaliers were able to cut into the lead as they went on a 12-0 run to make it 49-44 in favor of the Panthers. King ended the run with a jumper outside the paint and Jordan finished off a layup to push the Pitt lead back to nine, 53-44, with four minutes to go. Over the final three minutes, Virginia got as close as four but the Panthers held on for the road win.
Games Notes
- With the win, Pitt improves to 7-6 all-time against Virginia including a 3-4 record in Charlottesville. Pitt has also won two straight overall in the series
- King finished off her 11th double-double of the season with 15 points and 16 rebounds to go along with a career-high five steals
- Jordan finished with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds as she has scored in double figures in four straight for the Panthers
- Malcolm scored in double figures for the 10th time this season in the win
Next Up
- The Panthers stay on the road Sunday as they travel to #18 Louisville Cardinals for an ACC matchup at 2:00 pm. The game will air on ACC Network Extra.
