Panthers battle themselves in win at Longwood
February 21, 2012; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Pittsburgh Panthers guard Brianna Kiesel (3) handles the ball against Connecticut Huskies guard Bria Hartley (14) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. UConn won 86-37. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
In their quest for five straight wins, the Pittsburgh Panthers women’s basketball team dealt with inconsistencies but ultimately prevailed 86-60 Monday night on the road.
The Panthers were led by Brianna Kiesel who had a career-high 27 points. Chyna Golden had her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
At the start of the first half it looked as though the Panthers were going to run the Lancers out of their own gym. Due to a uniform snafu, there was a technical foul called before the tip-off and the Panthers had a 2-0 lead before the game even started. They would stretch the lead to 10-2.
Longwood would recover, though, as leading scorer Chelsea Coward and Khaliah Ali combined for 20 points in the first half.
The Panthers were largely dormant in the middle stages of the first half but seemed to recover and took a 35-30 lead at the half. The Panthers were outshot in the first half 48 percent to 37.5. Both teams did not capitalize on their free throws and the Panthers out-rebounded Longwood 21-16 in the half.
Pitt opened the second half strong as Kiesel scored the first five points of the half to force a Longwood timeout. But Longwood regrouped in the first nine minutes of the second half.
With Pitt up eight, Ashlee Anderson had a huge block of Coward and the Panthers scored twice – two points off free throws from Chyna Golden and then a fast break layup from Marquel Davis. From there Kiesel continued her onslaught and Brittany Gordon scored her first basket as a Panther with another transition attack.
The rout was on from there.
Toward the end of the game, Brianna Brizzi and Bridget Higgins saw time as Agnus Berenato began emptying the bench. Higgins did have an impact on the final score as she scored four points, headlined by a 3-pointer.