Pitt
McNeese State
Pitt Edges McNeese State, 71-65
12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NICEVILLE, Fla. - Sophomore forward Brenna Wise tied her career high of 25 points to lead Pitt women's basketball (9-3, 0-0 ACC) to a 71-65 win over McNeese State (5-6, 0-0 Southland) at the Patrick Harrington Classic at Raider Arena in Niceville, Fla., Tuesday night.
It was Pitt's second win in as many days as the Panthers swept their competition at the event, after defeating UTEP 71-46 Monday night. Wise's scoring total marked her second 20-point game of the season and the third of her career. Graduate transfer center Brandi Harvey-Carr tied her career high for the second consecutive game, posting 18 points. Sophomore guard Cassidy Walsh came off the bench to post a season-high 10 points, and Destinie Gibbs contributed a career-high five assists. Sophomore Kauai Bradley led the Panthers on the boards with seven rebounds, all on the defensive end.
The Panthers came out of the gates on a roll, starting 5-of-5 from the field over the first two minutes. Wise hit the first three field goals of the game, followed by a jumper from Bradley, and a Harvey-Carr layup for a 10-0 lead at 7:20. Pitt allowed a bucket for the first time at the 6:50 mark, eventually reaching a largest lead of 12 at the 5:34 mark after Wise went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 14-2. After a 5-0 run by McNeese State, Wise hit a 3-pointer to return the Panthers to a 10-point edge with 4:04 to go, up 17-7. Pitt ended the first quarter with a 21-13 lead.
The Cowgirls opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run, cutting the lead to three points (23-20) at 5:13. Pitt subsequently went on a 5-0 run to widen the margin to eight (28-20) at 4:02, with all five points coming from Harvey-Carr. The graduate transfer center reached double-figures in the scoring column with her 10th point coming on a free throw at 2:15 (29-24). Walsh grabbed an offensive rebound and completed a put-back layup with 40 seconds remaining in the half to make it 31-26, but McNeese State hit a jumper in the paint to set the halftime score at 31-28.
Both teams posted 18 points in the third quarter, and the Cowgirls cut their deficit to as few as one point at the 2:31 mark following an 11-5 run. Pitt entered the final period with a 49-46 edge.
The Panthers found some breathing room after back-to-back field goals in the fourth quarter - a Walsh 3-pointer and a Wise layup - to make it 60-51 with 5:05 remaining in the game. The Cowgirls cut it close at the end, coming as close as within four points (68-64 and 69-65), and forced a fouling situation. Pitt stayed hot from the charity stripe and secured a 71-65 win.
Pitt out-shot the Cowgirls (.426 to .385) and went 21-of-28 (.750) from the free throw line. McNeese State had the slight edge on the boards, 37-36.
WITH THE WIN…
- The Panthers improved to 9-3 overall, extending their best start to a season since 2014-15 when they earned the same record.
- Pitt earned its first win against McNeese State (1-0).
EXPERIENCE THE ACTION
All individual tickets for Pitt women's basketball home games 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 conclude non-conference play with the 35th edition of the City Game, traveling across Pittsburgh to face Duquesne at A.J. Palumbo Center Thursday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. ET.
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