Panthers' Hoopsters Hold Off St. Francis (Pa.), 70-61
11/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Panthers' Hoopsters Hold Off St. Francis (Pa.), 70-61
11/29/2002
LORETTO ? Fueled by an outstanding shooting performance from the free throw line, the University of Pittsburgh women?s basketball team improved to 3-0 on the year as they defeated St. Francis (Pa.), 70-61, Wednesday night at DeGol Arena. The Panthers made 22 of 22 foul shots (91.7 percent) to move to 3-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. After grabbing a 34-25 halftime lead, Pittsburgh allowed the Red Flash to get back into the game in the second half. With 11:48 remaining in the game, St. Francis pulled to within one point, 45-44, before Laine Selwyn responded with a jumper to cool the rally. However, the Red Flash would not go away and with just under six minutes to go in the contest, a 3-pointer by Sami Allison made it a one-point game again. Once again, the Panthers responded and made all 12 of their free throw attempts in the final five minutes to seal the victory. Selwyn led Pittsburgh with 18 points, making 10 of 10 free throws, tying the school record for free throw percentage (100.0) in a game. She also added a season-high eight assists, pulled down a team-high six rebounds and recorded four steals. Amy Kunich tallied 13 points with three assists and three steals, while Dallas Williams had 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Beth Swink paced the Red Flash with 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting. Pittsburgh returns to action on Dec. 2 as it faces inner-city rival Duquesne at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m. NOTES: Selwyn has now made 41 of her past 43 free throws (95.3 percent), dating back to last season. She is a perfect 16 of 16 this year from the foul line?despite only pulling down 28 rebounds, Pittsburgh outdueled its opponents on the boards for the third consecutive game (28-23)?St. Francis shot just 26.7 percent from 3-point land (4 of 15) compared to the Panthers? 50 percent (4 of 8)?Pittsburgh committed 25 turnovers to the Red Flash? 24.