Pitt Primed for 48th Rendition of The Backyard Brawl

PITTSBURGH – In a battle of unbeaten sides, the Pitt women's basketball team will travel to face No. 15 West Virginia on Tuesday evening at WVU Coliseum.

The Backyard Brawl is slated to tip at 7 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ESPN+.

Need to Know - Game 3
Pitt (2-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. West Virginia (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 - 7 PM
Morgantown, W.V. – WVU Coliseum

The Opening Tip
Forcing Turnovers
The Panthers have shined defensively this season, forcing 54 turnovers over two games, including 35 in the opener against Canisius. Junior guard Marley Washenitz has played a major role defensively, logging nine steals this year – five against Canisius and four against Bucknell.

Newcomers Leading the Way
Offensively, Pitt has been led by the tandem of graduate center Khadija Faye and junior guard Amiya Jenkins as they are combining to average 31 points per contest. Redshirt sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson has also provided a spark off the bench, notably logging a career-high 12 points against Bucknell.

Beyond the Arc
In the win over Bucknell, the Panthers were led by Jenkins, Johnson and sophomore guard Aaryn Battle as the trio combined for 43 of Pitt's 64 points. Jenkins, Battle and Johnson combined to shoot a stellar 7-of-12 from three-point range. As a team, Pitt shot 8-of-15 (53 percent) from beyond the arc – the Panthers' best percentage since Dec. 10, 2020.

Series History - West Virginia

Tuesday will mark the 48th meeting between the two sides. West Virginia leads the series 29-18.
The Mountaineers have won the previous six meetings. Pitt's last win versus West Virginia came on Feb. 5, 2011 when the Panthers won 60-53.

Scouting the Mountaineers

West Virginia rose to No. 15 nationally Monday following a 2-0 start to the season.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 110-41 win against Niagara University on Saturday where they had five players score in double digits.
- Jordan Harrison, who was named to the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watchlist, scored 21 in the contest.
  - Harrison was previously named to the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Team and the 2024 All-Big 12 Second Team.
Junior guard Sydney Shaw is averaging 19.5 points per game on 76.5 percent shooting from the field.

Last Time Out - vs. Bucknell
Pitt knocked off in-state foe Bucknell, 64-61, Saturday evening at the Petersen Events Center.

The Panthers and Bison exchanged baskets over the first 10 minutes of action as neither side could pull away early.

After facing a 26-21 deficit at the 8:20 mark of the second period, Pitt went on a blistering 13-2 run behind field goals from Jenkins, Battle and Johnson to take a 34-28 lead. More back-and-forth action ensued, before Battle closed the second quarter with a half court heave, giving the Panthers a nine point advantage (44-35) entering the intermission.

Pitt then opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 52-35 lead with four minutes remaining in the third period. The Bison cut into the gap, outscoring the Panthers 11-2, to close the frame and trailed by just eight (54-46) entering the fourth quarter.

A small 5-0 Bison spurt to open the final period made it a one possession game at the 8:47 mark, but a 10-0 run from Pitt gave the Panthers a commanding 13 point advantage with just over three minutes left. Of note, Jenkins scored five of Pitt's 10 points during the run.

Despite facing a double-digit deficit down the stretch, Bucknell refused to go away, closing the game on a 10-0 run of its own to make it a 64-61 game with 17 seconds left.

After a pair of missed free throws from Pitt, the Bison took their final timeout, trailing by just three with eight seconds remaining. On the final possession of the contest, Reese Zemitis of Bucknell had a good look from the corner, but Jenkins closed out strong, resulting in a miss as Pitt held on, 64-61.

Up Next
After Tuesday's showdown, the Panthers will stay on the road to face Binghamton on Sunday, Nov. 17. Tipoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ESPN+.