Women’s Basketball defeats Pitt Bradford behind Carr’s career-high night

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University women's basketball guard Sydney Carr recorded a double-double with a career- and season-high 34 points and 11 rebounds to help lead the Celtics to an 83-74 AMCC victory over Pitt Bradford Saturday.

Carr, a 5-foot-4 junior, also tallied five assists, four steals and five blocks.

Emari Stinnette added 16 points, nine boards, two assists and two blocks, and Emiley Hillgartner went 7 for 7 from the foul line to contribute 14 points, three assists and two steals on the afternoon.

It was a battle all afternoon between Carr and Pitt Bradford's Paige Gratto. Both athletes scored 16 points apiece in the first quarter alone, with Carlow ahead, 22-18, heading into the second.

A Hillgartner trey extended Carlow's advantage to nine points midway through the second quarter as the Panthers continued to chip away at the lead. Two Pitt Bradford free throws cut Carlow's lead to two points, but back-to-back jumpers from Shaelyn Clark gave the Celtics (5-5, 4-2 AMCC) some room to breathe.

The Panthers (4-8, 1-5 AMCC) trailed Carlow, 37-32, heading into halftime. Both teams scored 18 points apiece in the third quarter, but Carlow's first half advantage kept the Celtics ahead by five heading into the fourth.

A Pitt Bradford trey early in the fourth made the score 55-53 in favor of the Celtics, but Stinnette and Carr hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Celtics up, 61-53.

Another three from Stinnette at the four-minute mark gave Carlow its first double-digit lead of the game.

The Panthers trailed by four with 3:30 left before Emma Aubrey sank another three-pointer to put Carlow ahead, 72-65. An and-one layup from Hillgartner gave Carlow its second 10-point lead of the quarter with under two minutes remaining in regulation.

The Celtics continued to eat away at the clock and drained all four foul shots when Pitt Bradford was forced to foul toward the end of the game to regain possession.

The Panthers shot better from the field, but the Celtics did quite a bit of damage at the foul line, shooting 85 percent (17 for 20) on the day. Carlow held a narrow 52-43 margin in rebounding and scored 21 points off 20 Pitt Bradford turnovers. The Panthers outscored the Celtics, 11-4, off the bench and 38-28 in the paint.

Gratto led Pitt Bradford with 31 points and two other players contributed double figures in the loss.

Carlow travels to Penn State Altoona for an AMCC game Jan. 10.