Bradford, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team took on Villa Maria on Wednesday Night in KOA Arena. The Panthers fell behind early and fell to the Vikings 95-62.
The Panthers got off to a slow start, as the guests were able to score the first 10 points of the game. The Panthers were able to end a 5-minute scoreless streak with 4:30 left in the quarter when Trinity Lockwood-Morris found Ashley Hall on the break for a layup. After a quick Viking bucket, Lockwood-Morris hit Daizjah Brown on the next possession for another layup. Unfortunately, that was all the Panthers could muster in the quarter, as they were held off the scoreboard for the final 3:48 to end the period trailing 20-4.
The teams traded baskets early in the 2nd quarter before the Panthers began to cut into the lead with 7:48 left in the half. Abigail Goss hit a layup to start an 8-point rally that saw the Panthers cut the lead to 11. The run included a fast-break layup from Alexa Ackerman and midrange jump shots from McKenna Kelly and Daizjah Brown. The Vikings pushed their lead back to 15 points in the final minute, but Ackerman was able to hit a three with 24 seconds left to send the game to the break with the Panthers trailing 40-28.
After the break, the Panthers continued to cut into the lead, getting the deficit to just 7 points through a pair of field goals from Ashley Hall and a three from Ackerman. Villa Maria responded immediately with a 12-point rally to push their lead back to double digits. They went on to outscore Pitt-Bradford 29-15 in the period.
The contest moved into its final quarter with Pitt-Bradford trailing 69-43. The Vikings added to their lead early, as they scored the first six points of the quarter before Avery Benzel was able to make a layup. The visitors extended their lead to its high-water mark at 25 with 6:24 to go, when the Panthers were able to score on consecutive possessions on jumpers from Hall and Lockwood-Morris. Brown made a pair of midrange jump shots during the quarter and Alexa Ackerman closed the scoring with a three from the wing in the final ten seconds of play.
Ashley Hall led the Panthers with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Daizjah Brown was extremely efficient, scoring 14 points on 7-11 shooting. Alexa Ackerman added 11 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals.
The Panthers fell to 0-6 with the loss. They will be back in action on Tuesday, December 6th, when they travel to Thiel for a non-conference matchup.
