University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
California (Pa) (exh.)
Women's Hoops Downs California (PA) in Exhibition Opener
11/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2005
PITTSBURGH -
A quick start allowed the Pitt women's basketball team to open its season with an 85-48 exhibition victory over visiting California (PA) at the Petersen Events Center on Friday evening.
Highlighting the victory for the Panthers was a triple-double by junior guard Mallorie Winn (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's/Georgia Tech) in her first competition in nearly two years. Winn was forced to sit out last year after transferring to Pitt from Georgia Tech. She had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and added two of the Panthers' four blocks defensively.
Winn was one of four Panthers that finished in double figures in scoring, including freshman guard Maddy Brown (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima). Brown got the start at shooting guard and connected on 6-of-11 from the field, including three 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points.
Brown was instrumental to the Panthers' quick start, scoring nine of the team's first 13 points. After a lay-up by sophomore center Marcedes Walker (Philadelphia, Pa./University City) opened the game's scoring, Brown hit a pull-up jumper, two free throws, a three-pointer and another jump shot over a three-minute span to help Pitt build a 13-3 lead. The Panthers then went inside as Walker scored the team's next eight points and extended the Pitt lead to 21-9. A 9-2 run by the Vulcans cut the lead to five at 23-18, but that was as close as California would get.
The Panthers took a 41-30 lead into halftime and outscored the Vulcans, 44-18, in the second 20 minutes. The Pitt transition offense accounted for 14 points while holding California without a fast-break point for the entire game.
Walker finished with 14 points, adding three rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Freshman Xenia Stewart (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half and finished with nine rebounds and two assists. The Panthers played solid basketball on both sides, shooting 50.8 percent from the field (30-of-59), while holding the Vulcans to just 29.3 percent (17-of-58).
California (PA) was led by guard Megan Storck, who scored 13 points and added four assists and two steals. Pitt's Cheron Taylor (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) had a solid game with nine points, six rebounds and two steals, while junior Danielle Taylor (Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) and freshman Sylvie Tafen (Yaounde, Cameroon/Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy [WV]) added eight points apiece.
The Panthers will play the OGBM Legends in their second and final exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Petersen Events Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
NOTES: Pitt outscored California in the paint, 36-14...the Panthers also held the advantage in points off turnovers by a 25-14 margin...Pitt had 22 assists to just 16 turnovers, while forcing the Vulcans into 23 giveaways...as a team, Pitt went 21 of 26 (80.8 percent) from the free-throw line.
