Pitt Women's Basketball Downs IUP in Exhibition, 72-40

Sunday, November 6

Pittsburgh, Pa.

2:00 PM

Pitt

Indiana (Pa.)

Pitt Women's Basketball Downs IUP in Exhibition, 72-40

11/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Nov. 6, 2016

Box Score | Final Book | Quotes

PITTSBURGH - Graduate transfer center Brandi Harvey-Carr made an impact in her first outing for Pitt women's basketball, leading the Panthers in scoring and rebounding in a 72-40 exhibition win over Indiana University (Pa.) Sunday afternoon at Petersen Events Center.

"Game experience was very necessary for us today," Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. "We saw a lot of good things, but we also have a lot of room for growth."

The 6-foot-4 DePaul transfer posted 13 points and eight rebounds, with half of each total coming in the third quarter. Joining her in double-figure scoring was freshman guard Alayna Gribble with 12 points - all on 3-pointers - and sophomore forward Kalista Walters with 10. Walters added seven rebounds for the Panthers. All nine Pitt players who saw playing time reached the scoring column.

"Game experience was the biggest thing for Harvey-Carr, getting her the ball and getting her touches," McConnell-Serio said. "She's coming from more of a reserve role [at DePaul] to a starting one here. We expect her to make an impact here."

Pitt had the upper hand on the Crimson Hawks in most all aspects of the box score, including field goal percentage (44.4 percent to 35.3 percent), rebounding (44-28), points in the paint (30-18), points off turnovers (17-9), second chance points (11-5), and bench points (26-5). The Panthers forced 20 IUP turnovers and limited the Hawks to just 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from long range.

It was a wire-to-wire win for the Panthers. Pitt jumped out to a 10-point lead (18-8) at 2:49 in the first quarter after a 7-0 run. Aysia Bugg sunk a layup as time expired in the first period to give the Panthers a 22-10 advantage.

IUP fought back in the second quarter, coming as close as within eight points (26-18) with 3:07 remaining before halftime. However, the Panthers kept the Hawks at bay, coming back to a 12-point lead on a layup and free throw by Jasmine Whitney at 1:01, and entered the break with a 32-20 lead.

It was a shaky start to the third quarter for Pitt, as IUP started with a 5-0 run to close the gap to seven points (32-25). Harvey-Carr ended the run with a layup at 8:03 to make it 34-25. She added five more points in the quarter. Gribble hit her third 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining in the period to give Pitt a 48-32 lead heading in to the fourth.

The Panthers finished the game strong, going on a 12-2 run over 2:50 to reach a 29-point lead with 4:20 remaining. Harvey-Carr scored her team-leading 13th point on a free throw with 1:59 to go to give Pitt a 69-40 advantage. Sophomore guard Tania Lamb put the exclamation point on the game with a 3-pointer to seal the final score at 72-40.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

It's no secret in that the McConnell family is "Pittsburgh basketball royalty." Sunday's exhibition was a showcase between siblings as fourth-year Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and associate head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller took on their brother Tom, who is beginning his fourth year at IUP. Additional family ties include Madison Serio - daughter of Suzie and niece of Kathy and Tom - who is entering her sophomore season at guard for the Panthers.

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

Pitt's regular-season opener against Mount St. Mary's (Saturday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m.) will tip-off a stretch of nine consecutive home games for the Panthers at Petersen Events Center. The complete schedule is available at PittsburghPanthers.com.

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