Pitt Hosts No. 2 Notre Dame Thursday in Nationally-Televised Matchup

PITTSBURGH – Coming off back-to-back ACC wins for the first time since February of the 2022-23 campaign, Pitt will host No. 2 Notre Dame on Thursday evening at the Petersen Events Center.

Tipoff is slated for 8:00 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

Need to Know - Game 26
Pitt (11-14, 3-9 ACC) vs. No. 2 Notre Dame (21-2, 12-0 ACC)
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 – 8:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Petersen Events Center

The Opening Tip
Faye Reaches 1,000 Career Points
Graduate center Khadija Faye tallied her 11th double-double of the year en route to becoming the 22nd Panther in program history to surpass the 1,000 career point mark in the win over SMU. Against the Mustangs, Faye recorded 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Faye has been one of the best bigs in the ACC this season, averaging 17.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.

Back-to-Back ACC Wins
Sunday's victory marked Pitt's 11th win of the season, marking the most in a year since the 2018-19 campaign. Additionally, Sunday marked the first time the Panthers have recorded back-to-back ACC wins since February of the 2022-23 season.

Elmore Stepping Up
Senior forward MaKayla Elmore tied her career-high in points with 17 – while adding seven rebounds. Of note, over the last two games, Elmore is averaging 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Defense Over the Last Two Games
Over Pitt's two-game winning streak, the Panthers have shined defensively – limiting Boston College and SMU to 61.5 points per game. Notably, Pitt limited SMU to shooting splits of 32.3 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.

Series History

Thursday will mark the 41st all-time meeting between Pitt and Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish lead the series 36-4.
Pitt is seeking its first victory over Notre Dame since earning a 67-65 win in the ACC Tournament on March 4, 2020.

Scouting the Fighting Irish

Ranked No. 2 nationally, Notre Dame has compiled a 21-2 record this season, including a perfect 12-0 mark in ACC play.
The Fighting Irish are led by star guard Hannah Hidalgo - who ranks second nationally in scoring at 25.9 PPG.
- Fellow guard Olivia Miles averages 16.5 points and 6.0 boards per contest.
Down low, former Panther Liatu King averages 12.0 points and 10.8 boards, while shooting an ACC-best 57.4 percent from the field.
Notre Dame scores 87.6 PPG, while holding its opponents to 61.0 PPG for a +26.6 differential.

Last Time Out - at SMU
The Pitt women's basketball team stunned SMU, 58-57, Sunday evening at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.

Pitt jumped out to an early 8-4 advantage behind field goals from Faye, Johnson and Elmore. SMU then evened the ledger, before a pair of Elmore free throws gave the Panthers a 10-8 lead at the 3:08 mark. The Mustangs closed the opening period with a 5-2 burst and held a 13-12 lead after 10 minutes of action.

Pitt outscored SMU, 10-4, over the first four minutes of the second quarter to regain the lead at 22-17. The Mustangs then went on a 7-2 run of their own to tie the contest at 24. Faye drilled a jumper with just over two minutes remaining, surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career – while sparking a 9-3 Panther spurt to close the first half.

Pitt opened the second half with consecutive field goals from Faye and Elmore – assisted by Miles. The two teams then traded field goals for the remainder of the third period, as Pitt led (47-38), entering the final frame.

The two teams exchanged field goals to start the fourth quarter, as Pitt led by six at the media timeout. SMU quickly went on 5-1 burst to pull within two with 2:32 remaining. The Mustangs then scored five unanswered to take their first lead of the second half with 35 seconds left.

Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws at the 26-second mark to give Pitt a 58-57 lead. The Panthers then came up with a pair of key stops down the stretch to secure the one-point victory.

Up Next
Pitt remains home, hosting Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 16. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.