Pitt
8-9,0-4ACC
Louisville
11-5,4-1ACC
Pitt Drops 65-56 Decision to Louisville
1/9/2025 9:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Despite leading by seven at the halftime break, the Pitt women's basketball team fell to Louisville, 65-56, Thursday evening at the Petersen Events Center.
For the first time in ACC play, the Panthers (8-9, 0-4 ACC) led after two quarters of play but were unable to overcome a 44-28 second half push by Louisville (11-5, 4-1 ACC) en route to their third-consecutive defeat.
Pitt's performance was highlighted by its defensive effort, as the Panthers limited the Cardinals to shooting splits of 39.4 percent from the field and 26.7 percent shooting from three-point range, respectively.
Notably, in the first half, Pitt held Louisville to just 28.6 percent shooting from the floor and 6.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Individually, the Panthers were paced by graduate center Khadija Faye – who logged 16 points and seven boards, while going perfect (8-for-8) from the charity stripe. Junior guard Marley Washenitz also had a solid performance, registering 12 points, three assists and three steals.
Of note, junior guard Aislin Malcolm had a stellar opening 20 minutes of action, drilling two triples and finishing the first half with a plus/minus of +7.
How It Happened
Both teams were held scoreless for the first 2:48 of action, before a Louisville layup opened the scoring. The Panthers immediately responded with a 7-0 run behind consecutive baskets by Faye and a triple from MaKayla Elmore. The two sides traded field goals, before back-to-back three's from Malcolm gave the Panthers a 15-7 lead at the 1:57 mark of the opening frame. The Cardinals outscored the Panthers, 6-2, to close the period, but Pitt led 17-13 after 10 minutes of play.
Neither side put together a run to start the second quarter as the Panthers led, 21-19, at the under-five media timeout. Coming out of the break, Pitt scored seven unanswered to take a 28-19 advantage. Louisville knocked down a midrange jumper to end the frame, narrowing its deficit to 28-21 entering halftime.
The Cardinals came out aggressively in the third period, immediately going on a 12-3 burst to take the lead, 33-31. Pitt and Louisville traded baskets for the remainder four minutes of the quarter, and the Cardinals led by two (37-35), entering the final 10 minutes of play.
Aaryn Battle drained a midrange pullup 19 seconds into the fourth quarter to even the ledger at 37-37. Louisville then found its stroke from beyond the arc, going on a 14-4 spurt over the ensuing four minutes to take a double-digit lead. The Panthers continued to push down the stretch but were unable to cut into the deficit, ultimately falling, 65-56.
Game Notes
- Khadija Faye once again scored in double figures, registering 16 points in 26 minutes of action.
- Faye has now scored 10 or more points in all but three of her appearances this season.
- Marley Washenitz had another all-around solid performance, notably logging three steals.
- Thursday marked her eighth game this season, logging three or more steals.
- She currently ranks fifth in the ACC in total steals with 34.
- Thursday marked her eighth game this season, logging three or more steals.
- Aaryn Battle recorded four assists without committing a turnover.
Up Next
The Panthers remain home, hosting SMU on Sunday, Jan. 12. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ACCNX.
