Pitt
Valparaiso
Women's Basketball Throttles Valparaiso, 86-51
12/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2010
Final Stats
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Senior Taneisha Harrison (Bowie, Md.) became the 16th player to score 1,000 points in Pittsburgh women's basketball history and help lead the Panthers to an 86-51 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Harrison, who scored 12 points, was one of five players in double figures for Pitt (5-4). Redshirt freshman Leeza Burdgess (Miami, Fla.) posted her first career double-double, pacing the Panthers with 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
Senior Chelsea Cole (Lumberton, N.J.) contributed her fifth double-double of the season (12 points, 11 rebounds) while guards Jania Sims (Newark, N.J.) and Asia Logan (Baltimore, Md.) added 12 and 13 points, respectively.
Pitt opened the contest by scoring the first eight points, capped by a three-pointer from the top of the key by senior Shayla Scott just three minutes into the frame.
The Crusaders (2-7) came back with a 4-0 spurt to close to 8-4, the smallest margin of the game. The Panthers, however, rallied with six-straight points scored by three different players. Burdgess closed the run with an offensive put-back to give Pitt its first double-digit lead of the game (14-4) with 13:39 left in the period.
Valpo scored 11 of the game's next 17 points - highlighted by back-to-back 3pointers - to get within five at 21-16 with just under 10 minutes to go in the first. The Crusaders would get no closer the rest of the contest.
The Panthers tallied the next 10 consecutive points, six coming from Burdgess and four from Harrison, to balloon the lead to 31-16. Sims, who had 10 of her 12 points in the first half, rattled a shot in with 17 seconds before the halftime horn to make it 43-23 at the break.
Pitt continued the offensive surge in the second, commencing the half with a 14-4 spurt. Harrison scored the last six-straight over the run, including the baseline jumper to give her 1,000 points in her career.
"It feels great to reach (the mark). It is an amazing honor and I am proud to be the 16th member of the 1,000 point club," said Harrison. "There are still a lot of games left to play and I know I can build upon it."
Pitt shot 48 percent from the field as a team and held a decisive 58-28 rebounding margin. The Panthers went 13-of-18 (.727) from the foul stripe and turned in 21 second chance points.
The Panthers will take a break this week for finals before heading to Las Vegas, Nev. for the Las Vegas Hoops Classic. Pitt will face Texas Tech on Sunday, Dec. 19 and UT-Arlington on Monday, Dec. 20. Tip-off for both contests is 3 p.m. EST.
Game Notes
• For the third time this season, five players scored in double figures for the Panthers.
•Pitt registered a season-high 86 points, topping the previous mark of 78 (versus Youngstown State in season opener on Nov. 12).
•The 86 points are the most for the Panthers since an 89-37 win over Western Michigan last season on Dec. 5, 2009.
•The 58 rebounds corralled by the Panthers as a team were the most this season. Previously, Pitt posted a then season high 54 rebounds against Youngstown State on Nov. 12.
•The 30-rebounding differential (58-28) is the largest in a single game since last season versus Youngtown State (56-26) on Dec. 2.
•The Panthers led from the opening tip to the closing horn for the second time this season.
•Senior Taneisha Harrison tallied double-figures for the seventh time this season. Her 12 points closed her to the 1,000 point mark in her career, becoming the 16th member of the 1,000 point club and fourth player to reach the milestone under head coach Agnus Berenato.
•Freshman Leeza Burdgess collected her first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She is the sixth different player to lead or co-led the Panthers in scoring in a single contest this season. The 16 points and 11 rebounds were both season-career -bests for the first year player.
•Senior Chelsea Cole posted her fifth career double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and 15th of her career. The double-digit rebounding effort was the seventh in nine games for Cole.
•Freshman Kyra Dunn scored a career high six points. She also grabbed six rebounds.
•Freshman Asia Logan scored in double-figures for the third-straight game. Her 13 points were a career/season high.
•The win was the first road win of the season for Pittsburgh.
•The Panthers bench snared 39 points, a season-high. Pitt topped the previous mark of 27 bench points scored against Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 4.
