Pitt Suffers First Loss to Purdue, 67-61

Wednesday, November 30

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7:00 PM

Pitt

(6-1)

Purdue

(4-4)

Purdue

Pitt

Pitt Suffers First Loss to Purdue, 67-61

11/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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Nov. 30, 2016

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PITTSBURGH - Graduate transfer center Brandi Harvey-Carr registered the first double-double of her career for Pitt women's basketball (6-1, 0-0 ACC) as the Panthers suffered their first loss of the season, 67-61, at the hands of Purdue (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Petersen Events Center Wednesday night.

The Camden, N.J., native posted 12 points and added career highs of 10 rebounds and five blocks. Freshman guard Alayna Gribble returned after sitting out three games with a foot injury to lead the Panthers with 14 points. Sophomore forward Kalista Walters tallied her second game in three outings scoring a season-high 11 points, and added six rebounds.

With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1-2 when playing in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and are now 1-1 all-time against Purdue. The team's only prior meeting was a 66-62 victory for Pitt in West Lafayette, Ind., on Feb. 1, 1980.

Purdue's Ashley Morrissette poured in a career-high 31 points, marking the first 30-point game by a Pitt opponent since Georgia Tech's Kaela Davis had 31 against the Panthers on Jan. 18, 2015. The only other Boilermaker to reach double figures in the scoring column was Andreona Keys with 10 points.

Purdue drew first blood at 8:53 to take an initial 2-0 lead. After Pitt quickly tied the game at 2-2, the Panthers went cold, going on an 0-of-8 shooting slump, but only trailed by as many as four during the stretch. Aysia Bugg broke the scoring drought at 3:45, and a 3-pointer by Gribble at 3:09 gave Pitt its first lead, 7-6. The teams traded leads four more times, with neither leading by more than one point. For the first time this season, Pitt trailed at the end of the first quarter, down 12-11.

Following a shot clock violation by the Panthers and a 4-0 run for Purdue to start the second quarter, the Boilermakers reached a lead of five (16-11) at 8:46. However, Pitt answered the call with a 12-2 run to take its own largest lead of five (23-18). The Boilermakers pulled back out to a one-point lead, following a 6-0 run, to go up, 24-23, but a layup by Destinie Gibbs at 2:09 sealed the halftime lead for Pitt, 25-24.

After halftime, Pitt extended its lead to 27-24 with a Harvey-Carr layup, but then the score tied twice before the Boilermakers took off on an 11-0 run to take a 38-29 lead. The nine-point deficit was Pitt's largest of the season, with the prior being six points down to Youngstown State on Nov. 14. The Panthers clawed back to a one-point margin (44-43) after a 14-6 run of their own, but Purdue stayed hot offensively and returned to a five-point lead (51-46) after Morrissette's third 3-pointer with 1:54 to go in the third period. Pudrue's 29-point quarter marked a school record as Pitt trailed at the end of the third for the first time this year, down 53-48.

There was still some life in the Panthers as they responded with a 7-0 run to start the fourth, after two layups by Walters and a Gribble 3-pointer, to tie the game for the sixth time (55-55). However, Purdue's defense kicked in hard as the Boilermakers held Pitt without points for more than six minutes while going on an 8-0 run. Gribble ended the scoring drought with a triple, and Jasmine Whitney followed with a free throw to bring the margin to four points, down 63-59. As Keys scored another layup, Pitt was forced into a fouling situation and could not overcome the deficit, falling by six, 67-61.

EXPERIENCE THE ACTION

All individual tickets for Pitt women's basketball are general admission and available for purchase for $5 each by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488 or by visiting PittsburghPanthers.com. Group tickets and season tickets are also on sale.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will complete their nine-game home stand by hosting Charlotte (Dec. 4) and Bryant (Dec. 6) at Petersen Events Center.

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