Pitt
(12-15,4-10ACC)
Syracuse
(22-6, 12-3ACC)
No. 23 Syracuse Outlasts Pitt, 70-56
2/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BOX SCORE | SEASON STATISTICS | PHOTO GALLERY
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team fell to No. 23 Syracuse 70-56 on Sunday afternoon in Pitt's ninth annual Pink the Petersen Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
The Panthers (12-15, 4-10 ACC) had three players score in double figures, led by point guard Aysia Bugg and forward Yacine Diop with 15 points apiece. Junior shooting guard Fred Potvin added 12 points on 4-of-7 from long range. Center Stasha Carey was one point shy of her third straight double-double as she finished with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds. She also added four assists and three blocks.
Syracuse (22-6, 12-3 ACC) won its eighth straight game in part to its pressing defense which converted Pitt's 20 turnovers into 28 points. Shooting guard Brianna Bulter led the Orange with 20 points, while forward Brittney Sykes added 16 and point guard Alexis Peterson 15.
The game was played in front of 4,151 fans all in pink, as part of the #Play4Kay initiative.
"Today was more than just a game," head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. "Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, so it was great to have so many people here wearing pink and representing the fight against breast cancer.
"Syracuse is such a disruptive defensive team. They play 40 minutes of full court press and then they trap out of their zone. They wear you down and created off of their defense. At times we handled their pressure and we did some good things out there, but they are tough to find ways to score against."
The Panthers made their first three triples of the game, but four early turnovers resulted in five points for the Orange and Syracuse led 14-9 at the first media timeout.
Pitt then exploded for an 11-0 run out of that timeout to take a 20-14 lead which forced a Syracuse timeout with exactly two minutes left in the opening quarter. That run helped Pitt lead 22-16 after the first 10 minutes. Diop had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in the quarter.
The Panthers gained their largest advantage of the first half when Bugg's layup made it 26-16, but Syracuse then turned up its defensive pressure and finished the second quarter by outscoring the Panthers 22-13 and led 38-35 at halftime.
Bugg had 11 points to lead Pitt at the break, while Potvin had nine and Diop eight.
The Panthers took a quick lead early in the third quarter on a Diop basket which gave Pitt a 45-44 advantage, but the Orange used a 13-2 run down the stretch of the quarter and led 56-47 entering the final 10 minutes of action.
Pitt hung tough with the Orange in the fourth quarter, and with the Panthers trailing 63-56 with 3:59 left, Pitt forced a Syracuse turnover but was unable to convert a 3-pointer on the offensive end. From there, Syracuse scored the final seven points of the game to secure the victory.
The Panther held a 41-29 rebounding advantage, but Syracuse shot 49 percent for the game (29-of-59). The Panthers were 40 percent from the floor (23-of-57).
Pitt returns to action at the Petersen Events Center this coming Thursday night when the Panthers host Georgia Tech in their final home game of the season. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
