Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team could not keep up with Penn State-Altoona in their penultimate regular season game Wednesday night, falling to the Lions 76-53. Despite the loss, the Panthers clinched the 6th and final playoff spot in the upcoming AMCC Championship Tournament due to other results around the league.
The Panthers started on the right foot as Katie Woolson opened the game with a layup on the opening possession. The Panther lead did not last, and the hosts directly answered with a three and then added a layup to go ahead 5-2. Alexa Ackerman made a 2nd chance basket to cut the lead to one, but the Lions once again responded with 5 straight to go ahead 10-4. Paige Gratto answered a Penn State-Altoona three with an old-fashioned three-point play, but her effort was followed by 6 straight from the hosts, giving the Lions a 10-point edge. Penn state-Altoona answered layups by Raquel Sewell and Amber Murak and then went ahead by 18 with a 10-0 run. Murak closed the quarter with a three to send the game to the second with Pitt-Bradford behind 31-16.
Murak began the 2nd period with a short jump shot, but once again her effort was matched and surpassed with another 7-0 rally. Avery Benzel cut into the lead with a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions around the 6-minute mark. Layups by Gratto, Woolson, and Benzel allowed the Panthers to finish the half on a 6-3 run putting them behind by 14 at the break.
After the break, Gratto began the half with a layup, however, the hosts responded with an immediate 6-2 run. Ackerman was able to hit a three to return the deficit to 14, but the Panthers went cold for the rest of the third, and could only muster a Murak layup over the final 6 minutes of the period. In that span, the Lions scored 11 points to extend their advantage to 23 heading into the 4th.
Pitt-Brdford began the scoring once again in the 4th, with Woolson sinking a free throw on the opening possession of the final quarter. The Lions quickly answered with a three, but the deficit stayed at 23 after 3 minutes of the 4th when Gratto and Murak hit jump shots to answer Penn State-Altoona baskets. After the Lions pushed the advantage to 27, the Panthers put on an 8-2 run. Benzel started the rally with a three and then Gratto added a layup a few possessions later. Murak closed the run with a thereto cut the lead to 21. In the final minutes, the Lions added a pair of baskets, while Gratto converted a layup with 20 seconds to go to bring the final score to 76-53 in favor of the Lions.
Paige Gratto led the Panthers with 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Amber Murak also went the distance, scoring 14 points. Avery Benzel was also able to reach double figures, adding 12 points while tallying 4 assists. Katie Woolson collected a team-high 7 rebounds, while also adding 5 points.
The Panthers drop to 4-17 with the loss, including a 3-12 record in AMCC play. Elsewhere in the AMCC, Pitt-Greensburg was defeated by Mount Aloysius, giving the Panthers a 2-game lead over the Bobcats with 1 left to play. The Panthers could end the season tied with Hilbert, but own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Hawks, giving Pitt-Bradford the 6th and final spot in the AMCC Tournament.
The Panthers will bring their regular season to a close on Saturday when they travel to Pitt-Greensburg for a matchup with the Bobcats. tipoff is slated for 4:15 p.m. in Pitt-Greensburg's Chambers Hall Gymnasium.
