Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team earned their first conference victory of the season as they erased a 7-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat Medaille 63-59 on Wednesday night.
- The Panthers struggled to get started offensively, as the visitors held them scoreless for the first 3 minutes of play, building a 7-0 lead along the way. Cailey Barnett got things started with a mid-range jump shot and Daizjah Brown added a second on the next possession. Following two Medaille free throws, Alexa Ackerman banked home a hook shot and then made a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor to tie the game at 9 to force a Medaille timeout. After the timeout, Cassidy King was able to intercept a pass at the top of the key and race downcourt for a fastbreak layup, giving the Panthers their first lead of the day. Their advantage did not last long as the Mavericks quickly went on a 6-0 run to move ahead, but Hannah Lary was able to make a three from the wing to end the first quarter with the Panthers trailing 16-14.
- Pitt-Bradford came out firing in the second quarter, as they were able to score the first 7 points of the period. Ackerman started things with a layup, and after a defensive stop, Brown was able to slice through the defense for a layup of her own. Cailey Barnett made a free throw with 8:10 to go in the half and then added another jump shot following a Cassidy King steal. Ashley Hall answered a pair of Medaille free throws and Ackerman hit another three on a second chance opportunity to extend the Panther lead to 8 points. Over the final 6 minutes of the first half, the Mavericks charged ahead with a 13-4 rally, holding the Panthers to two jumpers by Hannah Lary and Cassidy King, however, Avery Benzel was able to get to the line in the final minute to send the game to halftime with the Panthers leading 32-31.
- After the break, Medaille was able to get on the board first but saw their basket answered by the third Ackerman long ball of the night and a Barnett layup, which restored the Panthers' 5-point lead. The visitors once again put together a rally, erasing the Panther advantage and taking a four-point lead of their own over a 5-minute span that only saw the Panthers score on a Hall three-pointer. The teams exchanged baskets in the final minute as only a Benzel free throw cut into the lead, sending the game to the fourth with the Panthers trailing 46-43.
- Emily Bethel started the fourth quarter with a baseline jump shot but the Mavericks were able to jump ahead of the Panthers in the first 5 minutes of the 4th, taking a 55-48 lead. The Panthers locked down on defense after a Medaille layup with 5:05 remaining in the contest, allowing only 4 points in the closing stages of the game. They were able to quickly cut the deficit to one point after just a minute when Ackerman and Hall made threes on back-to-back possessions. Following a minute with no change in the score, Hall added a free throw to tie the game at 55 with 3 minutes left.
- The Panthers took the lead on the next possession as Lary was able to register a steal and King converted on the transition opportunity with a layup on a feed from Ackerman. The Panthers force a second turnover on the next possession, with King coming away with the steal and once again turned it into points as Barnett made a short jumper to put the Panthers up 4 with 1:41 to go. After Medaille made a free throw with 45 seconds remaining, King stepped up to the line and sank a pair of her own to push the lead to 5. The Panthers nearly gave the Mavericks momentum, as a foul on a made layup saw their advantage cut down to one possession, but Barnett made two clutch free throws to seal the victory.
Freshman Alexa Ackerman recorded a new career-high in the victory, finishing with 16 points. She made 6 of 10 from the field, including 4-7 from three. She also led the team with 6 assists. Barnett was the only other Panther to finish in double figures, as she scored 11. Ashley Hall added 9 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Cassidy King filled up the stat sheet with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block.
The win moves the Panthers to 3-18 on the season with a 1-12 record in AMCC play. They will return to action this weekend with their final road game of the season. They will travel to Erie to take on Penn State-Behrend. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.