Pitt
4-1,0-0ACC
Delaware State
2-4,0-0MEAC
Pitt Rallies Behind Second Half Offensive Onslaught to Drop Delaware State on School Day, 80-45
11/20/2024 2:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH -- Propelled by a second half offensive outburst, the Pitt women's basketball team (4-1) defeated the Delaware State Hornets (2-4), 80-45, on School Day in front of 2,622 fans at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday morning.
Center Khadija Faye scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and tied a career-high with 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. 11 of Faye's 14 rebounds were offensive. Fellow captain Brooklynn Miles added offense, scoring 12 points on perfect (5-of-5) shooting from the field and dishing out a career-high nine assists.
The Panther defense caused chaos as they grabbed 18 steals, the team's most in a game since 2018. Pitt opened the second half in a full-court press that held the Hornets to just six third quarter points, the second-lowest point total allowed in a quarter by a Tory Verdi coached team at Pitt.
Pitt shot 41.9 percent (31-of-74) from the field and 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from behind the arc. The Panthers shot 100 percent (9-for-9) from the free-throw line, led by Faye who went 5-for-5. Pitt outscored Delaware State 36-16 in the paint and 22-3 on fast break points.
How It Happened
The Panthers sprinted into a 12-2 run to open the contest, sparked by two Faye buckets in the paint and a MaKayla Elmore transition 3-pointer. A Miles fast break pull-up 3-point shot extended the Panthers lead, forcing Delaware St. into an early timeout. Pitt led 20-14 at the end of the first following a Faye turnaround jump shot as time expired.
Delaware St. battled back in the second quarter, hitting three contested 3-pointers to tie the game. Pitt overcame an over-3-minute field-goal-made drought by a Marley Washenitz corner 3-pointer off a Miles assist to retake the lead 27-24. At the 2:15 mark in the second quarter, Faye secured her 10th rebound (eighth offensive) of the game to give her a first-half double-double. Pitt ended the first half on an 8-0 run and forced the Hornets into a 4:25 scoring drought, to lead 35-27 at halftime.
Pitt opened the third quarter on a 17-0 run, ignited by the Panthers tenacious defense. Pitt's aggressive full-court press defense led to three consecutive steals, including a steal from Faye who leapt into the Hornet's bench to save a ball. Miles and Mikayla Johnson both hit transition 3-point jump shots off of Delaware St. turnovers. Pitt held the Hornets scoreless over an 11-minute stretch from the 4:27 mark in the second quarter to the 3:09 mark in the third quarter. The Panthers outscored Delaware St. 25-6 in the third frame.
Pitt's offensive momentum carried into the fourth quarter, where Bella Perkins buried a pull-up 3-pointer off an Aislin Malcolm assist. Malcolm followed with a 3-pointer of her own in the corner to extend the Pitt lead to 33. Washenitz added to the 3-point barrage with a deep corner jump shot off of an inbounds pass from Aaryn Battle. Pitt finished the game on a 7-0 run, including a jump shot from freshman Audrey Biggs.
Game Notes
- Pitt moves to 4-0 all-time against Delaware St. The Panthers maintain their streak of 29+ point wins against the Hornets.
- Pitt remains undefeated (3-0) at home this season.
- Pitt recorded 18 steals in the contest, its most since 11/9/18 against New Orleans (also 18).
- At the 2:15 mark in the second quarter, Faye secured her 10th rebound of the game for her third double-double of the season, which is tied for the third most in the nation. Faye finished with a career-high tying 14 total rebounds (also 14 while at Texas Tech against Kansas St. on 2/3/21).
- Miles dished out a career-high nine assists. Her previous high was seven (2x, last against LSU on 3/3/24).
- Mikayla Johnson scored a career-high 14 points on a career-high five field goals made.
- Pitt's defense allowed just six points in the third quarter, the second-least points allowed in a quarter by a Tory Verdi coached team (five allowed in 4Q against Northern Kentucky on 11/24/23).
- Pitt recorded a season-high 22 total assists, with eight players recording at least one.
- Pitt grabbed a season-high 44 rebounds, with Faye, Elmore and Johnson all securing at least seven.
- Pitt made a season-high nine 3-point shots, which is tied for the most made since Tory Verdi was hired (also against Georgia Tech on 1/7/24).
- Pitt turned the ball over just 10 times, the second-lowest amount since Tory Verdi took over (eight against Northern Kentucky on 11/24/23).
- Audrey Biggs scored her first collegiate points at the 0:30 mark in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
Pitt looks to remain undefeated at home as it faces crosstown opponent Robert Morris (2-1). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ACCNX.
