Pitt Heads To Crosstown Rival Duquesne Saturday Afternoon For 41st City Game

Saturday, November 18

Pittsburgh, PA

2 PM

Pitt

Duquesne

Pitt Heads To Crosstown Rival Duquesne Saturday Afternoon For 41st City Game

11/17/2023 2:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GAME 4

Pitt at Duquesne

Nov. 18, 2023 / 2:00 PM / Pittsburgh, PA (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)

PITTSBURGH – The 41st edition of the City Game commences Saturday afternoon as the Pitt women’s basketball team (1-2, 0-0 ACC) travels to crosstown rival Duquesne (2-1, 0-0 A10) for a 2:00 pm tip inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

HOW FOLLOW

Saturday's game will air live on ESPN+ by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on pittsburghpanthers.com as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse starting at 1:45 pm. To listen, click HERE.
Live stats for 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.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

The dynamic frontcourt duo of Liatu King and Rapuluchi Ayodele are proving to be a problem for opponents early on this season.
Last time out, both players grabbed double digit rebounds for the third straight game as they both secured 14 boards at George Mason.
This marks the first time since joining the ACC that Pitt has had a pair of teammates grabbed double figure rebounds in each of the first three games of the season.
In the game against West Virginia last weekend, the duo combined to score 46 points and 28 rebounds. The two almost outrebounded the whole WVU team as they grabbed just 29 rebounds in the game.
Both players snagged double-doubles against West Virginia which marked the first time two Panthers recorded double-doubles in the same game since 12/9/17 against UNC Wilmington (Diop/Walters). They are also the only teammates in the ACC this season to record double-doubles in the same game with at least 18 points.
So far this season, King and Ayodele are the only set of teammates in the country to be averaging a double-double through three games (King - 18.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, Ayodele - 11.7 ppg, 13.0 rpg).
They are also the only teammates in the nation to be ranked inside the top-10 nationally in rebounds per game (King - 7th, Ayodele -9th).
Not only are King and Ayodele scoring and rebounding the ball, they are also efficient as they are shooting a combined 49.2% from the floor (32-for-65) on the year.

LIATU REIGNS KING

Senior Liatu King enters this season with her expectations at an all-time high as the Pitt coaching staff has instilled a confidence in her as a go-to option this season.
King has opened her season on fire as she has secured three straight double-doubles to start the season. She is the first Panther in over 20 years to open the season with three straight double-doubles while also being the only player in the ACC and one of only five players in the NCAA to do so.
Last time out, King finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a road loss to George Mason. She has grabbed 14 rebounds in all three games this season.
Against WVU on Saturday, King put together a massive game for Pitt as she netted a career-high 28 points and 14 rebounds while going 10-for-23 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Her 28-point game marked the most points in a game for a Pitt player since Alayna Gribble netted 29 points against Georgia Tech on Jan. 14, 2018.
The 28-point and 14-rebound double-double marked the most points scored in a double-double for a Pitt player since Asia Logan (36 pts, 14 rebs) on Nov. 11, 2012 against William & Mary. She is also one of just four players in the NCAA over the past two seasons to post a statline of at least 28 points, 14 rebounds and eight made free throws against a Power 5 opponent (Angel Reese, Ashley Jones, Maddy Siegrist).
In the season opening win over Yale, King didn’t disappoint as she snagged a double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists across 30 minutes of work. She is the first Panther since Dayshanette Harris in 2020-21 (11 pts, 10 rebs) to record a double-double in a season opener for Pitt.
So far this season, she is averaging 18.0 points and 14.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2% from the floor and 94.1% from the free throw line. She is the only player in the nation averaging at least 18.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg and 2.0 bpg so far this season.
Her 14.0 rebounds per game leads the ACC and ranks third in the nation so far this season.
For her career, King has now recorded 12 double-doubles (points + rebounds) including a career-high five last season.
She has scored in double figures 27 times in her career while recording multiple blocks 20 times.
A ferocious rebounder, King has grabbed at least five rebounds in 50 of her 78 career games. She has led the Panthers in rebounding 34 times while snagging 10+ boards 18 times in her career.
King capped last season averaging a career-high 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 39.4% from the floor and notching a career-best 34 steals. She ranked 4th in the ACC in blocks (1.4 bpg), 5th in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and 10th in field goal percentage (39.4%) last season.

Liatu King is the first Panther in over 20 years to open the season with three straight double-doubles

More Notes

THE SERIES – DUQUESNE

This meeting marks the 41st edition of The City Game between Pitt and Duquesne with Pitt holding the 23-17 lead in the all-time series.
The Panthers have won two straight and three of the past four games between the two teams. Pitt handed the Dukes 1 61-45 defeat last season at the Pete.
This meeting marks the 18th at Duquesne in the series with Pitt holding the 9-8 lead in those games. The Panthers have won two straight on the road in the series including the last matchup at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Nov. 20, 2021 by the score of 69-64.
The Panthers have been strong against A-10 opponents in the past as they own a 47-28 overall record against current members of the conference.

SCOUTING THE DUKES

Virginia Duquesne enters Saturday’s game with a 2-1 overall record on the year after defeating Howard 65-51 on the road Tuesday night.
Offensively, Duquesne is led by Amaya Hamilton who is averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds while connecting on 50% of her three-pointers. Nae Bernard is averaging 10.3 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 47.1% from deep so far this season.
Megan McConnell is enjoying another strong start to her season as she is averaging 10.3 points, a team-high 9.7 rebounds, a team-high 5.0 assists and a team-high 3.3 steals per game.
As a team, the Dukes are shooting 43.2% from behind the arc while scoring 68.0 ppg and snagging 36.7 rebounds per contest.

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINATION

The Panthers have been dominant in the non-conference portion of their schedule in recent memory.
Pitt has posted a winning record in non-conference play 18 times in the past 19 seasons including a 7-4 non-conference mark last season.
Pitt opened their 2023-24 campaign with a win over Yale and they are now 67-38 (.638) against non-conference foes over the last 10 seasons.

AYODELE A BEAST ON THE BOARDS

Forward Rapuluchi Ayodele was brought in this season to add some toughness and rebounding to the Panthers frontcourt and she has done just that through three games.
Last time out, Ayodele had eight points and 14 rebounds in 35 minutes of action against George Mason. It marked her second straight game with 14 rebounds.
Ayodele posted a career game against WVU last week as she netted a career-high 18 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals while going 8-for-12 from the floor. Of her 14 rebounds, eight were on the offensive glass which are the most in a single game for a Pitt player since joining the ACC in 2013-14.
So far this season, she is one of three players in the ACC to average a double-double as she is averaging 11.7 points and 13.0 rebounds while shooting a team-high 59.1% from the floor.
She has secured 10+ rebounds in all three games this season while ranking second in the ACC and ninth in the NCAA in rebounds per game (13.0 rpg).
Ayodele is currently leading the ACC and ranks second in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (6.7 orpg). Her 20 offensive rebounds through the first three games of the season are the most by a Pitt player since joining the ACC in 2013-14.

MALCOLM HAS CAREER DAY AT GEORGE MASON

Sophomore Aislin Malcolm has earned playing time early on this season for the Panthers and she’s proving to be a key player.
Last time out, Malcolm had the best game of her young career as she netted a career-high 18 points and three assists while going 8-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-5 from behind the arc across a career-high 34 minutes of work.
The 18-point effort marked her first career game scoring in double figures.
So far this season, Malcolm is averaging 9.3 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from the floor. She has played 30+ minutes in all three games this season after not playing 30+ minutes in a single game as a freshman.