BRADFORD, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team will be back in the KOA Arena Wednesday night, hosting Hilbert for the team's first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference matchup this season.
Pitt-Bradford opened up its season at home as Mansfield (Division II) came to town on Nov. 15. The Panthers hung around and kept the deficit at single digits for most of the game, but free throws down the stretch gave Mansfield the 10-point win, 60-50.
From there, the Panthers hit the road for the Jim Crawley Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Frostburg State University. Pitt-Bradford earned its first win of the season in the second game of the event and their most recent action, an 85-82 victory over Bethany on Nov. 18.
Entering Wednesday's game, Ali Rinfrette holds 1,574 career points. She is just 36 points shy of tying the all-time Pitt-Bradford scoring record of 1,610 held by Diane Eggleton.
The senior guard has been the Panthers' top scorer so far this season, averaging 20.0 points per contest with a season-high of 27 in the Panthers' win over Bethany. Her scoring average is the second-best in the AMCC.
Rinfrette also ranks third in the AMCC in both assists (17) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
The next highest scoring Panther is Shaelyn Snipes, who has averaged 11.0 points per game and leads the team with a 6-10 clip from long range. Her 60.0 percent on three-point field goals is tied for the best in the conference.
Aria Alston-Smith has averaged 9.3 points per game so far this season and has the second-most field foals on the team to Rinfrette with 12.
Pitt-Bradford's top rebounder is Jennifer Isenberg with 7.3 boards per game. Down low, Isenberg has grabbed 22 total rebounds, including eight offensive. She has also blocked five shots – the third-most in the AMCC.
So far this season, the Panthers have scored 66.0 points per game, the third-best scoring offense in the conference. Pitt-Bradford has the top three-point defense, holding opponents to a 25.0 percentage from long range. The Panthers' 3.7 rebound margin and 15.7 assists per game are also the best marks in the conference.
Wednesday's matchup will serve as the second game of a doubleheader with the men's team. Tipoff is set for around 8 p.m.
About Hilbert:
- The Hilbert Hawks come to the KOA Arena with a 2-3 overall record, picking up wins in their last two games against Alfred (Nov. 25) and Fredonia (Nov. 27). Wednesday's game will serve as their first conference action of the season.
- As a team, the Hawks score 65.6 points per game while boasting the top scoring defense in the AMCC with 61.2 points surrendered to opponents.
- Emily Gawlak is the Hawks' top scorer with 14.2 points per game while averaging 6.2 boards per contest. The team's top rebounder is Katelyn Proy with 7.8 boards per game.
- Taylor Corts (12.5 points per game) and Kelsi Ebert (12.4 points per game) have made six three-pointers each this season and are key contributors to Hilbert's offense. Ebert also leads the team with 12 steals.
