Eagles sink talons into Panthers, 72-61

The Pitt women’s basketball team slipped back into a losing rut Sunday afternoon after a loss to an evenly matched Boston College, 72-61.

In a tight game in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the Panthers (10-15 overall, 2-10 ACC) exchanged the lead with the Eagles (7-18 overall, 2-10 ACC) throughout most of the contest, but fell behind quickly in the last quarter as BC outscored Pitt 22-12 down the stretch.

Looking back at their last game, in which they lost 66-59 to Florida State, the Panthers fell into a familiar pattern — starting off strong, but losing momentum as the clock wound down at the end of the second half.

Pitt led for most of the first, but BC kept it close, only letting up a lead of 10 points in the half. By the half, the Panthers shot at 50 percent, going 40 percent from the three-point range, while the Eagles performed at 46 percent and 25 percent from the three.

Redshirt junior Yacine Diop — Pitt’s leading scorer this season — led the opening charge with 12 points in the first half, going 8-17 from the field and 1-3 from the three-point range.

Diop ended the day leading scoring with 22 points. Following suit for the Panthers was junior center Kalista Walters, going 3-for-6 with nine points.

At the end of the half, Pitt led Boston College 34-30 after two 3-pointers from junior forward Kauai Bradley. The team kept it up through the third, but cut their lead to a tie — going back-and-forth on jumpers and free-throws.

Entering the fourth, Pitt and BC stood tied at 49. Within the first few minutes of the final quarter, the Eagles pulled ahead with an 8-0 run, sophomore forward Georgia Pineau contributing five points.

The Panthers defense struggled against Pineau, who led all scorers with 23 points.

The Eagles continued their scoring streak as the game wound down, consistently scoring up until the three-minute mark, when both teams stopped scoring completely — eventually ending the game in lackluster fashion, with a final score of 72-61.

The Panthers now sit at 3-9 in the ACC. With four games remaining in the regular season, the team has a challenging lineup ahead — facing two in-conference teams ranked in the top 25.

Their next matchup comes this Thursday, when they take on Miami at home. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.