Pitt
St Francis Pa
Pittsburgh Tops Saint Francis, 81-71
12/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2001
PITTSBURGH-Behind junior Laine Selwyn's school-record-tying 16 assists, the University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team wrapped up their non-conference slate with an 81-71 victory over Saint Francis on Sunday afternoon at Fitzgerald Field House.
Selwyn's career-best 16 assists ties the Pittsburgh single-game mark and were the most since 1984 when Kim Tirik dished out 16 against West Virginia. Debbie Lewis also had 16 assists in 1978 against LaSalle. Selwyn (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) also added a team-high eight rebounds and totaled four points.
Junior Brooke Stewart (North Versailles, Pa./East Allegheny) tied her season high with 23 points, including five 3-pointers. Freshman Haley Harguth (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) poured in a career-best 20 points, hitting a personal-best 6-of-12 shots from behind the arc, while Dallas Williams (14) and Mandy Wittenmyer (12) each tallied double digits in scoring.
After the score was tied at 17-17 with 10:18 remaining in the first frame, Pittsburgh went on a 21-8 run, sparked by three 3-pointers from Stewart to grab a 38-25 lead with just over four minutes to go. The Panthers entered the locker room with a 42-34 advantage.
In the second half, Pittsburgh extended its lead to as many as 16 points (60-44) with 12:58 remaining in the contest, but Saint Francis was not done. The Red Flash embarked on a 16-3 spurt to close the gap to three points by the 5:42 mark. However, the Panthers pushed the lead back to 12 points, 80-68, and held off Saint Francis in the closing minutes.
Pittsburgh shot 48 percent from the field, including 42 percent (11-26) from behind the arc, while the Red Flash connected on 46 percent of their shots. Saint Francis (3-6) won the battle on the boards, 41-29, but it committed 25 turnovers to the Panthers' 19 miscues.
Carlin Chesick and Tonjee Ward both chipped in 20 points to lead the Red Flash. Ward added career-highs of eight boards and four steals, while Beth Swink notched her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Pittsburgh (5-7) is back in action on Jan. 2 as it travels to No. 1 Connecticut. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Huskies' Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
