Houghton, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team took on Houghton Tuesday evening, falling to the Highlanders 80-55.
The Panthers struggled to handle Houghton's full-court pressure and zone defense, as they committed 30 turnovers in the game. They fell behind 44-29 after the first half and then after tying the hosts 14-14 in the 3rd, saw the Highlanders pull away as they were outscored 22-12 in the 4th.
Despite allowing the first basket of the game, the Panthers were able to settle in early, tying the game right away on a Cassidy King jumper and then answering another highlander bucket with a three from Ashley Hall. The hosts jumped out to a 10-5 lead, but the Panthers were resilient as a pair of king midrange jumpers and two free throws from Trinity Lockwood-Morris tied things up at 11. Unfortunately, Houghton came up with a response of their own, outscoring the Panthers 11-2 over the final 2:45 of the quarter to take a 22-13 lead after one.
Pitt-Bradford was able to cut the lead back to five in the early stages of the second quarter. Cailey Barnett opened the period with a three and Daizjah Brown followed a Panther free throw with a made jumper to cut the lead to 24-19. The hosts battled back again, scoring 8 straight to push their lead back to double digits. King was able to keep the lead from growing any further as she converted a three-point play and added another layup, but the Highlanders were able to score at the buzzer to head to halftime leading 44-29.
After the break, the Panthers made an early run as they were able to score the first six points of the third. Hall started the half with a layup underneath and after a pair of free throws and another midrange jumper from the middle of the zone from King, the Panthers had the deficit back to single digits. Houghton responded again, extending their advantage to as many as 17 after a three with 4 minutes left in the quarter. Barnett and Abigail Goss added late baskets in the quarter but saw their efforts matched, keeping the lead at 15 as the game moved to its final stanza.
Pitt-Bradford once again scored first in the final period, as King made a quick jumper just seconds into the quarter. The Panthers kept pace with the Highlanders through another King bucket and a pair of free throws from Hall but were kept off the board for a 3-minute span that allowed Houghton to go ahead 75-50. King added a final layup in the last few minutes, but the Panthers were unable to cut into the lead any further.
Cassidy King was the lynchpin of the Panther offense, as they looked to work from the middle of the Houghton zone defense. She tied a career-high, finishing with 22 points on 9-18 from the field and 4-5 from the line. She also recorded her first double-double of the season, as she grabbed 10 rebounds. She also added 5 assists and two steals. Cailey Barnett also reached double figures for Pitt-Bradford, scoring 11 in the game. Trinity Lockwood-Morris had an impact for the Panthers off the bench, scoring 5 points while collecting 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the game.
The Panthers fall to 0-3 on the season with the road loss. They will be back on the road for their next contest as they head to Buffalo to play in the Betty Abgott Invitational, hosted by Buffalo State. They begin their trip with a 4:00 p.m. game against the hosts on Friday, Nov. 18th, and will follow that with a matchup against Clarkson on Saturday the 19th at 2:00 p.m.