Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team erased a first-quarter deficit to win their season-opening game against Houghton 71-62
- The Panthers got their season off to a slow start, as they allowed two early threes from the Highlanders before Cassidy King was able to break the ice and score the first points of the season. This continued for the majority of the opening quarter, as Houghton built a 21-10 lead after the first.
- In the second period, the Panthers were able to chip away at the lead in the final 5 minutes of the half. They used an Ashley Hall three, Daizjah Brown Lay-up, and back-to-back threes from Hannah Lary to get the lead to only 3. The Highlanders finished the period strong, however, outscoring the Panthers 6-2 in the final two minutes to go to halftime up 7 points.
- Pitt-Bradford stepped up their defense in the second half of play. They limited the Highlanders to 4 points in the first 7 minutes of the half, which enabled them to take a 44-43 lead with 2:50 to go in the quarter. The visitors responded to the rally, scoring 6 straight to retake the lead, but Alexa Ackerman hit a jump shot with 6 seconds remaining in the quarter.
- As the game moved into the fourth, the Panthers used the momentum from the late Ackerman bucket to go on a 25-1 run and take a commanding lead. Ashley Hall and Cailey Barnett jumpers saw the Panthers retake the lead, and their stifling defense allowed Pitt-Bradford to get into transition for the rest of the run. Lary scored 7 points in the run, while Ackerman scored 8, including two three-pointers.
A trio of freshmen led the Panthers offensively, scoring in double digits in their collegiate debuts. Hannah Lary led the way for the Panthers with 21 points. She shot 6-14 from the field and 7-9 from the charity stripe. She also added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Cailey Barnett, scored 13 points, while Alexa Ackerman finished with 12. Daizjah Brown also finished in double-figures, scoring 10 points.
Junior Cassidy King was a force on the boards, grabbing 18 in the game. She also added 7 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Ashley King also finished the game with double-digit rebounds, grabbing 10. She also added 5 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.
The Panthers (1-0) will be back in action on Thursday, November 11th, when they host Penn State-DuBois in KOA Arena
