Pitt earns second straight Big East victory with comeback

Senior forward LaToya Kincaid scored a career-high 29 points, as the Panthers won at Seton… Senior forward LaToya Kincaid scored a career-high 29 points, as the Panthers won at Seton Hall, 61-56, for their second straight Big East Conference win.

The Panthers (6-8 Overall, 2-2 Big East) found themselves in a huge hole early in the game as Seton Hall (10-4, 2-1) ran off 11 unanswered points after the tip-off to take a commanding 11-0 lead.

Pitt finally got on the scoreboard, but still found itself down 16-4. The Panthers ended their offensive silence and went on a 19-3 run to finish the half. Senior guard Stacy Moore tied the game at the 2:07 mark when she hit a layup after a Pirate turnover. She converted two free throws a minute later to put Pitt up 21-19. It was the Panthers’ first lead of the game, and it was a lead they would not give up.

However, the lead was in jeopardy at times.

In the second half, Pitt had a 42-30 lead following a layup by Kincaid with 10:43 on the clock, but Seton Hall went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to four points.

Pitt countered and regained their double-digit lead, going up 51-41, with under five minutes to go.

The Pirates would again cut the lead, and this time, they cut it closer. With one minute remaining, Seton Hall forward Ashley Bush hit two free throws to pull the Pirates within one point, at 55-54.

On the next Panther possession, Kincaid hit a turn-around jumper to give Pitt a three-point lead. Two free throws from sophomore guard Katie Histed and two more from freshman guard Brooke Hughes sealed the victory for the Panthers.

Seton Hall had three players in double-digit scoring, including center Charlene Thomas, who went six-for-12 from the field and finished with 16 points and three steals. Bush scored 12 points and also shot 50 percent from the field.

Despite its high percentages, Seton Hall only shot 33.9 percent and was one-of-11 from behind the three-point arc.

Pitt finished the game shooting 37.2 percent, but hit 50 percent of its shots in the second half.

Histed hit eight of 12 free throws and finished with a total of 11 points in the game.

Kincaid pulled down 10 rebounds to record her second consecutive double-double, and the third of her collegiate career.

Other Panthers’ notables were Moore and junior center Allisha Morris. Moore recorded six points, two assists and a team-high three steals in the game. Morris scored four points and pulled down six rebounds.

Forward Cheron Taylor, coming off a career game against Providence, contributed to the Panthers’ win by pulling down nine rebounds and scoring four points.

The Panthers travel to Miami on Jan. 17 where they look to continue their Big East winning streak. The game time is slated for 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.