Erie, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team was on the road on Saturday, as they traveled to Erie to take on Penn State-Behrend. The Panthers fell behind their hosts early and eventually fell to the Lions 90-60.
The Lions scored the first four points of the contest before Raquel Sewell was able to get the Panthers on the scoreboard with a layup. Two Pitt-Bradford free throws tied the game at 4, but the hosts quickly went back ahead with 5 straight. Alexa Ackerman hit a three to cut the deficit to 2 before the Lions went on a 9-0 run to jump ahead of the Panthers. Paige Gratto ended the run with a free throw and a three-pointer putting Pitt-Bradford down by seven until the Lions closed the quarter with two unanswered baskets to end the first with a 22-11 lead.
The Penn State-Behrend run continued in the second quarter, as the Lions scored the first seven points of the period. Abigail Goss made a pair of free throws and Ackerman made another long ball to slow the Lions down, but it did not last as their quick 5-points were followed by a three-and-a-half-minute drought that allowed the Lions to push their lead to 23 points. Yasmine Abu-Aiadeh ended the drought with a three and after a Lion free throw, McKenna Kelly converted a three-point play to pull the Panthers closer to the hosts. The Panthers stayed with the Lions for the remainder of the half and went to the break trailing by 20.
The Panthers got off to a quick start after the break, scoring on their first two possessions on a Sewell layup and a Gratto jumper. The hosts matched the early baskets for the Panthers and, while Pitt-Bradford cooled down, the Lions continued to add to their lead, using a 13-0 run after an Abu-Aiadeh long ball to push their advantage to 35. Sewell made two field goals and Ackerman hit a mid-range jump shot in the last three minutes, but the Lions scored 10 in the same stretch to hold a 77-38 lead heading into the 4th quarter.
Pitt-Bradford was able to cut into the lead in the final quarter, outscoring their hosts 22-13 to close the game. Penn State-Behrend started the period with four straight, but the Panthers answered with a 9-0 run. Gratto started the run with a jump shot on the fast break and then added a three-point play after a pair of free throws from Jordan Langston. Goss finished the rally with a jump shot on a feed from Avery Benzel. Abu0Aiadeh made a pair of three-pointers over the last few minutes of play and Goss made one final layup in the final seconds to close the scoring.
Paige-Gratto led the Panthers with 14 points. She also grabbed 7 rebounds in the loss. Yasmine Abu0Aiadeh was just behind her, making 3-7 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points. Abigail Goss scored 9 points off the bench.
The loss drops the Panthers' record to 8-12 with a 5-9 mark in AMCC play. They will be back on the road on Wednesday for a pivotal matchup at Alfred State. The Panthers previously defeated the Pioneers 73-61 in KOA Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in Alfred, N.Y.
