Panthers Prepped For Sunday Matinee at Binghamton

PITTSBURGH – After suffering its first defeat of the 2024-25 campaign, Pitt will return to action Sunday afternoon when the Panthers square off with Binghamton at Dr. Bai Lee Court in Vestal, N.Y.

Tipoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ESPN+.

Need to Know - Game 4
Pitt (2-1, 0-0 ACC) at Binghamton (2-2, 0-0 AEC)
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 - 1:30 PM
Vestal, N.Y. – Dr. Bai Lee Court

The Opening Tip
Led by Faye
Offensively, the Panthers are led by Texas transfer center Khadija Faye. Faye, a native of Dakar, Senegal, is averaging an impressive 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds on 55.2 percent shooting from the field.

Forcing Turnovers
Pitt has forced 68 turnovers over its first three games, including a program record 35 in the opener against Canisius.

Dominant Down Low
Against the 15th-ranked Mountaineers, starting big's Faye and Lauren Rust led the way, combining for 26 of Pitt's 54 points. Rust scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and the Panthers scored 26 total points in the paint. Pitt outrebounded West Virginia 38-35, which the Panthers converted into 18 second-chance points. Individually, Faye snagged eight offensive rebounds before fouling out with 8:20 remaining in the game.

Johnson on the Scene
Redshirt sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson has made an immediate impact since transferring from Colorado. The Anchorage, Ala., native logged 12 points and four assists in the victory over Bucknell. Of note, she broke her previous career high of six in the first quarter, before finishing the contest with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Series History - Binghamton

Sunday will mark the second all-time meeting between the Panthers and the Bearcats, as Pitt defeated Binghamton, 73-62, a season ago at the Petersen Events Center.
- Aislin Malcolm netted 18 points on 50 percent shooting to go with six rebounds and four assists in the win.

Scouting the Bearcats

Binghamton has compiled a 2-2 ledger through its first four games, earning wins over Pitt-Johnstown and Akron, while falling to St. Bonaventure and Cornell.
- Last time out, the Bearcats dropped a 68-51 decision to Cornell.
  - Binghamton was led offensively by Leah Middleton - who notched 14 points. Guard Jadyn Weltz also had a solid outing, netting 13 points.
Middleton and Weltz average a combined 25.3 points per game.
Led by guard Bella Pucci, the Bearcats force 19.5 turnovers per game.

Last Time Out - at No. 15 West Virginia
Pitt (2-1) fell to No. 15 West Virginia in the 48th edition of the women's basketball Backyard Brawl in the WVU Coliseum on Tuesday night despite a 14-point and 12-rebound performance from transfer center Khadija Faye.

Sparked by Rust's first career three-pointer off a Brooklynn Miles assist, Pitt opened the contest with an early 5-3 lead. Pitt's defense forced six West Virginia turnovers in the frame, but the Panthers shot 27 percent (4-for-15) from the field and 10 percent (1-for-10) from behind the arc to trail 12-9 after the first quarter.

West Virginia opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run, before a Faye put-back bucket sparked a Panther 4-point spurt. Pitt's inside game was on display in the quarter, as the Panthers scored eight points in the paint. Faye led the Panthers at halftime, netting nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. The Panthers were outscored 23-16 in the quarter and trailed 35-25 at half.

Pitt's stout defense held the Mountaineers to 1-for-10 shooting from the field over a 5:18 stretch in the third quarter. MaKayla Elmore notched five in the third, including a top-of-the-arc three-pointer following a forced turnover to give Pitt momentum, but the Panthers trailed 56-41 entering the fourth quarter. Mikayla Johnson and Rust led the Panthers in the fourth quarter, each scoring five in the frame, but Pitt was outscored 26-13 in the final period.

Up Next
Following Sunday's matchup, the Panthers return to the Petersen Events Center for back-to-back games against Delaware State (Wed., Nov. 20) and Robert Morris (Sat., Nov. 23).