Pitt
Marshall
No. 24 Pitt Tops Marshall, 80-58
11/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2009
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PITTSBURGH (AP) - Five Panthers scored in double figures as No. 24 Pitt downed the Marshall University women's basketball team, 80-58, in Saturday's championship game of the Pitt Thanksgiving Tournament at the Petersen Events Center.
Three Panthers, Jania Sims, Chelsea Cole and Shayla Scott earned nods to the all-tournament team with Sims garnering MVP honors.
Taneisha Harrison for Pitt (5-0) notched 15 while Jania Sims had 14. Chelsea Cole had 11 points along with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Tynikki Crook led Marshall (2-4) with 17 points and 11 boards while Chantelle Handy notched 16 and Mystee Dale had 11.
Marshall began the game strong, taking a 7-4 lead just over two minutes into the contest. Crook got the ball rolling early, scoring four points while Mystee Dale nailed a three to put the Herd on top. Pitt came right back to take an 8-7 advantage as Shayla Scott hit a bucket to give the Panthers their second lead of the game.
Pitt extended its lead at that point to as many as ten points, 25-15, with seven minutes left in the half, before Marshall cut it back to as little as five points before trailing by nine, 35-26, at halftime. Pitt kept Marshall scoreless for a six-minute stretch midway through the half. Crook led all scorers in the half with 12 points, including a 6-of-7 showing from the charity stripe.
The Panthers extended their lead to a game-high 13 points, 45-32, five minutes into the second stanza. Taneisha Harrison nailed a trey for her second bucket of the game while Chelsea Cole sealed the run with a field goal.
Marshall clawed its way back, cutting the lead down to eight points, 51-43, with 8:44 left in the game, but two quick daggers, both treys, saw Pitt extend its lead to 14 just over a minute later. The lead would reach as many as 24 before reaching the final score of 80-58.
Pitt won the rebounding battle, 40-36 and also finished with a .460-.352 shooting advantage.
Chantelle Handy, who notched 22 points against Miami and followed that up with 16 points against the Panthers, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Panthers pick up action with their first game away from the Petersen Events Center as they travel to Youngstown State University on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Pitt and YSU met last year here at the Thanksgiving Tournament with the Panthers running away with a 99-42 victory, their largest win since the 1977 season. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
