Erie, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team hit the road over the weekend for a tough matchup against the defending AMCC champions, Penn State-Behrend. The Panthers struggled to score early, and lost to the Lions 93-42.
The Panther offense struggled to get started in the game and the hosts were able to score the first 8 points of the game until Avery Benzel made a layup to put the Panthers on the board after four minutes of action. Pitt-Bradford cut the early deficit to four points after Amaria Mims made a jumper and Amber Murak answered a Lion basket with a three-pointer. Penn State-Behrend finished the period on a 14-2 run, with Benzel scoring the only points for Pitt-Bradford.
Pitt-Bradford's struggles continued as the game moved into the second quarter. They could not score for the first 7:50 of the period, while the hosts scored 26 unanswered points to extend the lead to 40 points. Paige Gratto ended the drought and Benzel added a late layup, but the Lions added 8 more to their lead and took a 59-13 lead into the halftime break.
The Panthers got their offense going in the second half and doubled their point total in the third quarter. Alexa Ackerman scored 5 points in the period, making a layup and a three, while Gratto, Benzel, Murak and Amaria Mims all scored 2 points as well.
In the fourth, the Panthers answered an early Penn Stae-Behrend basket with a 6-0 run. Benzel started the rally with a fast break layup and then after a few possessions, Raquel Sewell tipped in a putback and Alexa Ackerman converted a steal into a layup. The Panthers were able to outscore their opponents in the fourth, as they scored 16 points, led by Ackerman who added another five to her total.
Avery Benzel led the Panthers with 12 points. Alexa Ackerman scored 10, with all of them coming in the second half. Raquel Sewell grabbed 12 rebounds and added 4 points in the loss.
The Panthers drop to 2-9 on the season, and 1-4 in AMCC play. They will be back on the road on Wednesday for a midweek contest at Alfred State. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.