All season long, shooting in the first half has been the Panther’s biggest adversary. Pitt overcame this fault in its matchup with Syracuse on Sunday afternoon and gained a comfortable advantage over the Orange until the fourth quarter. But Pitt (8-21, 2-14 ACC) fell apart in the final period and fell to Syracuse (25-5, 14-4 ACC) 63-53.
Foul trouble came early for Syracuse, and Pitt took advantage of the free-throw line. Syracuse took the first bucket of the day, but shortly after, Pitt senior forward Liatu King gained the lead for the Panthers with an and-one layup. Junior forward Rapuluchi Ayodele then went three for four on the line in the next two minutes and extended Pitt’s lead to 6-2.
The Panthers’ performance in the first quarter was the best they’ve had all season. The Panthers shot an average of 57% with 5:36 remaining in the first, and they maintained a 12-4 advantage.
The Orange caught up late in the first and tied up the game 14-14 with 2:31 left. Pitt went on a three-minute shooting dry spell, allowing Syracuse to take the lead. The Panthers lost the quarter 15-14.
Pitt took the first basket of the second quarter and led 16-15. Pitt junior guard Bella Perkins extended the Panther lead with a second-chance three-pointer. King made her 10th point of the game with 4:20 to go to extend Pitt’s advantage to 22-15.
Syracuse struggled with shooting in the first half. The Orange ended the first half with a 27% field goal average, while Pitt had a 42% average. Perkins went three for five on the three-point line and earned 11 points in the half. As a result, the Panthers won the second quarter 16-10.
The Orange’s shooting dry spell ended late in the second quarter. Within thirty seconds, Syracuse made a free throw followed by a jumper, making it a two-point game. With less than three minutes in the half, Orange junior guard Georgia Woolley made a three-pointer to take the lead 23-22.
Pitt didn’t allow Syracuse to lead for long. King made the first move with a spin-around jumper, and Perkins sealed the lead with back-to-back three-pointers. The Panthers ended the half 30-25.
The third quarter featured the largest lead of the day when Pitt earned a 10-point advantage over Syracuse. King also racked up 11 points in the third quarter alone.
First-year guard Aaryn Battle made the first basket of the second half. But Syracuse responded with five straight.
Pitt cut the Orange’s momentum halfway through the third, and King’s free throws regained Pitt’s advantage 36-30.
King picked up her 22nd point after an 8-0 run late in the third. This run gave Pitt a 10-point advantage over Syracuse. The Orange fought to chip away at Pitt’s advantage, but Pitt maintained the 49-41 lead going into the fourth.
The Orange made it a four-point game within the first three minutes of the final quarter. The Panthers also found themselves in foul trouble in the fourth, which allowed a second chance layup from Syracuse graduate guard Dyaisha Fair. This warranted head coach Tory Verdi calling a timeout to stop the Orange’s momentum.
King stepped up after the timeout, halting Syracuse’s momentum. After a second chance layup, King extended Pitt’s advantage to 51-47. Shortly after, King earned a fast break that gave her three chances for a layup. She ultimately couldn’t sink the shot, resulting in an Orange fast break that cut Pitt’s lead down to 51-49.
With 4:36 remaining in the final quarter, Verdi received a technical foul. Only behind by two, Fair went up to the line and went 0-2, maintaining Pitt’s two-point advantage. However, Fair got a second chance at the three-point line. She made back-to-back threes, and Syracuse took the lead 53-55 with 2:23 remaining.
After Pitt was forced to foul, Syracuse scored the next ten straight, and the Panthers couldn’t recover. After a tough battle, the Panthers ultimately lost 53-63.
The Panthers are on the road again this Thursday as they face Miami at 6:00 p.m.