Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team rebounded from a last-second game-tying shot to dominate the overtime period on the way to a 63-54 win over Alfred State.
The Panthers stifled the visiting Pioneers early, holding them to 16 first-half points. Alfred State made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 51 after making their only three-pointer of the game with 1.5 seconds on the clock. In the extra period, the Panthers held the Pioneers to 3 points, while scoring 12 of their own to secure the win.
Pitt-Bradford jumped out to an early lead, as Avery Benzel opened the scoring with a three-pointer after a minute of play and then assisted an Abigail Goss layup. Trinity Lockwood-Morris made a pair of inside baskets and Katie Woolson hit a big three in the quarter to put the Panthers up 12-9 after one.
Lockwood-Morris scored again to open the 2nd quarter, and after an Alfred State free throw, the Panthers extended their lead to 9 on a midrange jumper from Daizjah Brown and a three from Ashley Hall. The Pioneers cut the lead to 3 with 2:50 left in the half, but the Panthers closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to head to halftime up 10. McKenna Kelly made a pair of free throws and Abigail Goss added a layup in the last minute. After a turnover, Hall was able to hit a final three as time ran out in the half.
After the break, the visitors were able to open the scoring, but Benzel quickly answered with a three from the top of the key. The Panthers' lead reached its peak of 14 points with 2:58 left after a Benzel putback. Up 39-25, the Panthers were unable to maintain their lead, as Alfred State closed the quarter on a 6-1 run to send the game to the 4th with the Panthers leading 40-31.
Alfred State came out of the gates firing in the 4th, scoring the first 6 points of the quarter to cut the Panther advantage to three points. Kelly made back-to-back field goals to answer the rally and after another Pioneer basket, Hall hit another long ball to push the lead back to 8 with 6:17 to go. The Panthers were held off the board for the next two minutes, which allowed Alfred State to score 5 unanswered to cut the lead back to 3 points. An Alfred State jump shot got the visitors to within one possession with a minute to go, setting up a thrilling finish to regulation. Neither team was able to score for 50 seconds before Ackerman was fouled with 7 seconds on the clock. Ackerman was unable to put the game away from the line, as she missed the first free throw, but hit the second to give the Panthers a three-point lead. Out of a timeout, the Pioneers were able to make their only three-pointer of the game to tie the game with 1.5 seconds remaining and send the game into overtime.
Daizjah Brown was able to open the scoring in the extra period as she made a midrange jump shot on the Panthers' first possession. The Pioneers answered the basket, but Brown was able to feed Summer Anderson for an open layup to put the Panthers back ahead. Alfred State went to the line and made a free throw with 3:02 to go, but it would be the last point the visitors would score as Pitt-Bradford finished the game on an 8-0 run. Hall and Benzel each made jump shots in the run, and Benzel put the game away with four straight free throws in the final minute to secure the victory for Pitt-Bradford.
Avery Benzel and Ashley Hall finished with 16 points each. Benzel grabbed 5 rebounds and led the Panthers with 4 assists. Hall also grabbed 3 rebounds and had 2 steals. Trinity Lockwood-Morris had a solid game off the bench, scoring 8 points and leading the Panthers with 8 rebounds.
The Panthers move to 3-12 on the season with a 1-4 record in AMCC play. They will be right back in action in KOA Arena on Saturday, as they host Pitt-Greensburg in another Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference showdown.
