Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team hosted Penn State-Behrend on Saturday, looking to build off the momentum of their midweek victory over Alfred State. Despite a solid start, the Panthers were unable to keep pace with the top-seeded Lions, falling 113-65.
Before the start of the action. The Panthers took a few moments to recognize their three seniors. Avery Benzel, Alexa Ackerman, and Katie Woolson have all been four-year members of the Pitt-Bradford squad, combining for 246 games played, including 19 team wins.
The Panthers began the game on the right foot, as they took an early 3-0 lead on a Paige Gratto three after 50 seconds. They could not maintain their momentum, however, as the visitors immediately answered with a three of their own, and then scored 6 more unanswered. The Panthers rallied, using threes by Amaria Mims and Alexa Ackerman to cut their deficit to one point with 3:48 remaining in the quarter. After Raquel Sewell answered a Penn State-Behrend layup with one of her own, Pitt-Bradford lost composure. They scored just 2 points over the final three minutes of the period, while their opponents scored 12 to end the first with the score 25-14 in favor of the Lions.
The Lions' run continued into the second quarter, as the visitors scored four more points before Amber Murak made a long two to break the dry spell. She followed that with two consecutive three-pointers to put on a personal 8-0 run and trim the lead to 7. Penn State-Behrend came right back and showed how they have built an undefeated conference record, responding with a 19-2 run to close the quarter. Murak scored the only basket for the Panthers in the stretch, a pull-up jumper with 2:11 left in the half.
In the third quarter, Ackerman and Murak scored early, however, the visitors began the half with an 11-5 run to add to their lead. Murak continued to produce for the Panther offense, hitting a three and then turning a steal into a fast-break layup, but her effort was matched by the Lions who only added to their lead through the period. Ackerman added two more threes and Sewell and Gratto each hit a pair from the stripe, but the Panthers headed into the final quarter trailing 75-47.
The Panthers struggled to begin the final quarter, allowing the visitors to score the first 10 points of the period before Murak ended the run with a three. Gratto took over the Pitt-Bradford offense down the stretch, converting a trio of three-point plays to close the game.
Amber Murak finished as the game's leading scorer, tallying 26 points in the loss. She made 9-22 from the field, including 5 from beyond the arc. Paige Gratto added 19 points, while also leading the Panthers with 8 rebounds. Alexa Ackerman made 4 threes to finish with 12 points.
The loss drops the Panthers to 4-16 on the season, with a 3-11 mark in conference play. The Panthers did receive some favorable results around the conference, and despite the loss, inched closer to their second consecutive AMCC Tournament berth. Pitt-Bradford currently holds on to the 6th seed in the tourney and would clinch the spot with a win in their final two games, or a Pitt-Greensburg loss. The Panthers will be back in action on Wednesday when they head to Altoona to take on Penn State-Altoona. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
