Keuka Park, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team moved to 2-0 on Saturday as they took down the Keuka Wolves 73-54 on the road.
The contest got off to a blazing start as the hosts made a three on the first possession of the game, only for Paige Gratto to respond with a triple of her own on the Panthers' first time down the court. The Wolves went back ahead with a jump shot at 8:24, but the Panthers locked down defensively after the basket, keeping Keuka off the board for the next 6 minutes, allowing them to open a 13-5 lead. Gratto tied the game with a layup before Alexa Ackerman gave the Panthers the lead with a three-pointer. Two possessions later McKEnna Kelly doubled the lead with another long ball and then Gratto made a pair of free throws on a second chance opportunity to end the run. Keuka ended the rally with a three-pointer, but Gratto answered with an old-fashioned three-point play to restore the 8-point edge. In the final minute, Kelly made a mid-range shot and Gratto added one more three to send the game to the second period with Pitt-Bradford ahead 21-14.
The Panthers started off slowly in the 2nd quarter, allowing the Wolves to cut their lead down to 2 points after 2 minutes. Avery Benzel hit a shot from beyond the arc to stop the rally. Kelly scored 4 straight for the Panthers to keep the lead at 5 and then with just over 4 minutes left in the half Yasmine Abu-Aiadeh made a three-pointer to restore the 8-point lead. Gratto added 6 more points over the final 2:36 of the quarter to give her 19 in the half and lead the Panthers to an 11-point halftime lead.
Pitt-Bradford kicked things up a notch after the break, outscoring the hosts. 26-9 in the third. The Wolves were able to keep the lead at 10 early in the quarter, but with 7 minutes to go, Ackerman made three-pointers on three consecutive possessions, extending the advantage to 17. The Panther rally continued following a Keuka timeout, as Pitt-Bradford went on an 11-1 run after the stoppage. A Wolves free-throw was followed by a pair of Gratto layups, and then an Ackerman jumper and two free throws from Katie Woolson. Gratto punctuated the rally with another three. The Panthers were held off the board for nearly the rest of the quarter until Ackerman banked in a buzzer-beating three to give Pitt-Bradford a 64-36 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Panthers slowed down in the final quarter, as they were outscored 18-9 by Keuka in the period. Kendall Dunn made a jump shot to start the period, but her basket was followed by a three-minute dry stretch that did not end until Raquel Sewell made a basket inside with 5:41 remaining. After the Sewell basket, the Panthers turned the ball over on three straight possessions, allowing Keuka to score 6 in a row. Sewell and Kelly each had a field goal in the final minutes as the Panthers were able to slow the game down and put it away.
Freshman Paige Gratto had another strong performance for the Panthers, scoring 28 points on 9-15 from the field. She made 3-5 from three and added 7-10 from the line. Gratto also led the Panthers with 8 rebounds and added a pair of assists and two steals. Alexa Ackerman caught fire in the third quarter, making 5-6 from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc for 14 points. She finished the contest with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals. McKenna Kelly was also able to reach double figures for the Panthers. She scored 11 points and also grabbed 6 rebounds.
Pitt-Bradford moves to 2-0 after the victory. They will look to remain in the win column on Wednesday, as they will host Houghton University at 7:00 p.m. on KOA Arena.
