Pitt
7-16,1-9ACC
#14 Notre Dame
17-4,7-3ACC
Pitt Drops Road Contest To #14 Notre Dame, 78-53
2/4/2024 4:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH BEND, IN – The Pitt women's basketball team (7-16, 1-9 ACC) fell on the road Sunday afternoon to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 78-53. Liatu King finished off her 13th double-double with a team-high 18 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
King had another impressive game as she led the Panthers in scoring and rebounding. With her jumper to start the third quarter, she recorded her 1,000th career point as a Panthers, becoming the 21st member of Pitt's 1,000 point club.
Jala Jordan had another big game in the loss as she netted 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while going 11-for-12 from the free throw line. It marked her second double-double as a Panther and third of her career. Aislin Malcolm finished her afternoon with eight points while Marley Washenitz added five points, three steals, three rebounds and two assists in the loss.
Pitt finished the game shooting 28.8% from the floor while the Irish shot 42.9% in the victory. Pitt held the 47-39 lead in rebounds while the Irish turned 16 Pitt turnovers into 18 points.
Pitt got out to a strong start offensively as Malcolm, Jordan and King each netted buckets to give the Panthers the 6-4 lead just over two minutes in. The Irish came back with seven straight but the Pitt was able to tie the game, 11-11, after the media timeout as King finished off the and one and Jordan made a pair of free throws. Another 7-0 run by Notre Dame gave them the 18-11 lead but Malcolm buried a triple before the horn to make it 18-14 in favor of the home team at the end of the first.
Gabby Hutcherson opened the scoring in the second half for the Panthers as she buried a jumper from the top of the key and Marley Washenitz nailed a contested triple from straight away to cut the Pitt deficit to two, 22-20, with six minutes left in the half. The Irish responded with 14-4 run before Malcolm drilled a triple to end the half with Pitt trailing 36-27.
Jordan opened the third with a jumper but the Irish were able to score nine of the first 11 points in the quarter. Out of a timeout, King hit a jumper at the top of the paint for her 1,000th career point. Pitt scored six free throws down the stretch of the quarter including four by Jordan as the Irish entered the fourth leading 55-37.
The Irish put the game away early in the fourth as they scored the first nine points of the quarter to push the lead out to 27, 64-37. King finished the fourth strong with seven points while also grabbing a couple rebounds to secure her 13th double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds in the 78-53 loss.
Game Notes
- King finished off her 13th double-double of the season with a team-high 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks on 8-for-13 from the floor.
- King has now scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games this season while grabbing 10+ rebounds for the 13th time.
- Jordan finished off her game with her second double-double of the season as she netted 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
- Jordan also connected on a career-high 11-of-12 free throw attempts in the loss. Before her miss in the second half, Jordan made 26 straight free throws on the season, the most by a Pitt post player since joining the ACC.
What's Next
- Pitt returns home for their next two games as they welcome Florida State on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 pm. Thursday's game will air live on ACC Network Extra.
