Nittany lions pounce on Panthers, 59-48

The Pitt women’s basketball team (6-5) fell to Penn State (9-3), 59-48, Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center, continuing Penn State’s consistent victories over Pitt this year.

Pitt led early in the contest, but shot an just 16 percent on three-pointers and allowed Penn State junior guard Teniya Page to erupt for 27 points as the Panthers dropped their fourth game out of their last five.

The Panthers jumped out to a quick 10-1 lead in the game’s first six minutes, but would go on a lengthy dry spell that lasted the remainder of the period. By the time the first quarter ended, Penn State led 17-10, and would not relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.

The deficit stayed steady for the rest of the contest, with Pitt coming closest after a jumper by redshirt junior Yacine Diop made the score 49-43 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. But the Panthers never mounted enough momentum to overcome the Nittany Lions’ consistent production.

Page led all scorers with 27 points for Penn State, including 3 of 4 from three-point range. Pitt, on the other hand, made just four of 25 threes on the day. The Panthers two leading scorers combined for as many points as Page alone, with juniors Kauai Bradley and Danielle Garven chipping in 15 and 12 points, respectively. Bradley accounted for all four of Pitt’s three-pointers, while Garven finished with 10 rebounds for a double-double.

The Panthers will stay in Pittsburgh for their next game versus Bucknell, which will take place Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m.