Pitt Ready To Entertain Duke At The Pete Thursday Night

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt women's basketball team (11-10, 2-8 ACC) returns home Thursday night as they welcome the Duke Blue Devils to the Petersen Events Center for a conference battle at 6:00 pm. Thursday's game will air live on ACC Network Extra.

THURSDAY'S GAME PROMOTIONS

National Girls & Women in Sports Day Game – Pitt female students are welcome to joining a group of Pitt female administrators for a pregame Q&A in the Campus View Club starting at 5:20 pm. We will also spotlight some of the amazing women in sports at Pitt with in-game videos.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Thursday's game will air live on ACC Network Extra with Jason Earle and Hailey Zeise on the call. You can watch the game by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on the radio on WJAS 1320 AM or 99.1 FM as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from Louisville starting at 5:45 pm. Listen to the call by clicking HERE.
Live stats of the game can be found by clicking HERE.
Live updates throughout the game will also be posted on Twitter by following the Pitt women's basketball account @Pitt_WBB.

THE SERIES WITH DUKE

This meeting marks the 13^th meeting of all-time between the two programs with Duke owning the 12-0 record against Pitt.
The Blue Devils hold the 3-0 lead in the series in games played in Pittsburgh.
The last meeting between the two teams came on Feb. 13, 2020 as Duke collected the 73-56 victory in Pittsburgh.

ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS

Duke enters Thursday's game with a 13-7 overall record and a 4-6 ACC mark after dropping their third straight game Tuesday against Georgia Tech.
The Blue Devils are being led offensively by freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson who is averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds while connecting on a team-high 34 triples.
Celeste Taylor has missed seven straight games but was averaging 11.7 points, a team-high 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 2.2 steals in 13 starts. Elizabeth Balogun is averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and a team-high 1.1 blocks so far this season.
As a team, Duke is averaging 68.7 points per game while allowing 61.6 points per contest. They grab 40.1 rebounds per game while also ranking fifth in the ACC averaging 4.8 blocks per game.

STORYLINES

The Panthers have continued to put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball and it has paid off in a major way. Pitt currently leads the ACC and ranks 7th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (45.2) and 6th in total rebounds (950). The Panthers have recorded at least 35 rebounds in all 21 games to start the season, a new program record.
Pitt has been able to get to the free throw line at a high rate as they rank 6th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (438) while ranking 27th in free throws made (278). Junior Amber Brown leads the ACC and ranks 32nd in the NCAA in free throw attempts (111).

THE OPENING TIP

The Panthers return home Thursday night as they host Duke at 6:00 pm on ACC Network Extra.
Last time out, the Panthers grabbed a season-high 62 rebounds (24 offensive) while also netting 50 points in the paint. It marked their most rebounds in a game since 2013 (68) and the second time they netted at least 50 points in the paint this season.
Junior Rita Igbokwe is playing at a high level right now as she has three straight games with 10+ rebounds. Over her last three games, she is averaging 8.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while shooting 58.8% from the floor.

LAST TIME OUT AT SYRACUSE (1/30/22)

The Panthers dominated on the boards and in the paint but they turned the ball over 23 times which resulted in a road loss at Syracuse, 80-72.
For the first time this season, Pitt lost a game when scoring at least 70 points. The offense was led by Amber Brown who netted 12 points and seven rebounds while Jayla Everett added 11 points, six rebounds and six assists and Taisha Exanor came off the bench and netted 10 points and eight boards.
The Panthers grabbed 62 rebounds (24 offensive) in the loss. It marked the most rebounds in a game since a Petersen Events Center record 68 in 2013 against Providence in double overtime.
Pitt also netted 50 points in the paint, their second most in a game this season.

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

The Pitt offense is continuing to gel as the season moves along and when they can score at least 70 points, they are pretty hard to beat.
So far this season, the Panthers are 5-1 when they score at least 70 points with their lone loss coming last game at Syracuse. Overall under Coach White, Pitt is 16-7 (.696) when scoring 70 or more points.
When the Panthers score less than 70 points this season, they own a record of 6-9. Overall under Coach White, Pitt is 16-61 (.208).
When Pitt holds their opponents to under 70 points, they own a 10-2 record (.833) this year and a 26-25 (.510) overall record under Coach White.

REBOUNDING PROWESS

One of the biggest points of emphasis for head coach Lance White since taking over the Panthers program prior to the 2018-19 season was rebounding. Pitt has taken that to heart through the first four years under White's guidance.
The Panthers lead the ACC and rank 7th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (45.2) so far this season.
Pitt also ranks 6th in the NCAA in total rebounds with 950, the most through 21 games for Pitt in program history. Pitt ranks 13th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (15.9) and 20th in defensive rebounds per game (29.3).
They lead the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (15.9) while posting 11 games with 17+ offensive boards and three with 20+. Rita Igbokwe ranks 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game in conference games (3.6 orpg).
The Panthers have grabbed at least 35 rebounds in all 21 games, marking the first time in program history they opened the season with 21 straight games with at least 35 boards.
Last time out against Syracuse, the Panthers grabbed 62 rebounds which marked their most in a single game since grabbing 68 against Providence in a double overtime game in 2013.
The 62 rebounds are the most Pitt has grabbed in regulation against a Power 5 program in school history and most in regulation against anyone since Dec. 3, 1976 when they snagged 84 rebounds against East Stroudsburg.
Pitt has grabbed at least 50 rebounds in six games already this season, their most in a season since 2008-09 when they did it seven times.