Cresson, Pa. -- Two members of the University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team set new career-highs on Wednesday as the Panthers fell on the road at Mount Aloysius 87-70.
- The Panthers got off to a tough start as they were turned over on their first two possessions of the game resulting in Mount Aloysius breakaway layups. They were able to get their offense kick-started soon after that as Daizjah Brown was able to cut into the lane and make a layup to open the scoring. After a third Mount Aloysius basket, Ashley Hall made a three from the wing to move the Panthers to within a possession of the lead. Unfortunately, they would not be able to hold momentum as the hosts quickly hit threes of their own on consecutive possessions to push their advantage back to six points.
- For the remainder of the first quarter, the Panthers made multiple runs at the lead but saw their efforts rebuffed as they would get back to within one possession and the Mounties would score to restore the lead. However, the Panthers were able to score the final four points of the quarter to send the game to the second down just two. Brown made two free throws with 1:16 remaining before Cassidy King made a layup inside with 35 seconds to go to send the game to the second with the Panthers trailing 24-22.
- Both teams locked down defensively to begin the second quarter, as they held each other off the board for the first 2:15 of the second. After the Mounties opened the scoring, the Panthers were able to jump into the lead. King made a mid-range jump shot out of a Pitt-Bradford timeout and after a defensive stop, Brown hit a three from the wing to put the Panthers up 27-26. The lead was short-lived however as the Mounties countered with a three of their own on a second chance opportunity. From there, Mount Aloysius went on a 14-0 run over the next 3 and a half minutes and closed the half with a 45-31 lead.
- Daizjah Brown came out firing in the 2nd half, scoring 6 straight for the Panthers as they were able to cut into the deficit. A Cassidy King three-point play got the lead back to single digits after three minutes had passed. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the period as the Mountie advantage fluctuated between 8 and 12 points, but a Mount Aloysius three-point play and last-second layup sent the game to the final quarter with the 14 point margin restored.
- Despite 6 points from Cassidy King in the final stanza, the Panthers were unable to build any momentum as the Mounties maintained their lead for the remainder of play. The Panthers were unable to string any baskets together as their hosts were able to quickly respond with field goals of their own to maintain their lead.
Cassidy King and Daizjah Brown both set new career highs for points scored in the game. King led the Panthers with 22 points. She made 8-17 from the field and added 6 from the line. She also collected 5 rebounds. Brown scored 18 points on 6-11 from the field, including 1-1 from three. She also made 5 of 6 from the line and accumulated 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Alexa Ackerman also finished in double figures as she scored 10 points off the bench. Cailey Barnett finished as the Panthers' top rebounder with 9, including 5 on the offensive end.
The Panthers fall to 2-16 with an 0-10 record in AMCC play. They will be back on the road this weekend when they travel to Pitt-Greensburg for a 2:00 p.m. tip.