Bradford, PA-- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team opened its AMCC schedule on Wednesday night with a matchup against Hilbert. The Panthers started strong, but faltered in the 2nd half, losing the game 67-61.
Amber Murak put the Panthers in front, splashing a three on the Panthers' second possession. After the Hawks answered with a three-pointer of their own, Molly Cady made a layup in transition to keep Pitt-Bradford in front. Hilbert went ahead with an old-fashioned three-point play, but the Panthers responded and took the lead with back-to-back layups from Dalayla Alexander and Murak. Following a Hilbert basket, Pitt-Bradford opened up a lead with 8 straight points. Ella Gettings started the rally before Murak and Joy McBean each hit threes to put the Panthers ahead 17-10. The visitors cut the lead to 4, but after a Panther timeout, Pitt-Bradford closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run. Murak made a mid-range jumper, and then Alexander converted a three-point play of her own to close the period.
The Panthers lost what momentum they had as the game moved into the second quarter. They were kept off the board for the first 6 minutes of the period, while Hilbert worked to erase the lead and go ahead 26-24. Murak finally stopped the drought with 3:57 on the clock, making a layup off a pass from Alexander. To close the quarter, the Panthers made 3 more free throws, compared to 1 for the Hawks, and then Zenette Zigler hit a baseline jumper to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford ahead 31-27.
In the third, Hilbert rallied again, outscoring the Panthers 5-1 over the opening 90 seconds to tie the game at 32. The Panthers answered, scoring six straight to restore their advantage. Abigail Goss started the run with a layup off a Cady feed, and then Alexander made back-to-back baskets. Hilbert rallied and erased the lead with a three-pointer at the 3:16 mark, tying the game at 40. Murak kept the Panthers in front for a moment with a midrange pull-up, but the Hawks scored the next 5 to end the third quarter leading Pitt-Bradford 45-42.
Cady started the 4th with a fast break layup, and Alexander added another to match two Hilbert free throws, but the Panthers could not erase the deficit as Hilbert hit a three to restore the 4-point edge. Pitt-Bradford was unable to string together any baskets to start a rally, as the Hawks not only maintained their advantage but also pushed it to 8 points with 3:28 remaining on the clock. A Gettings jumper started a 6-1 Pitt-Bradford rally that cut the lead to one possession. Murak made a jumper and a pair of free throws in the run. After Hilbert made a pair of free throws to go ahead by 5 with 47 seconds left, Murak hit a step-back three to cut the lead back to 2. Unfortunately, the Hawks were able to convert 6 of 6 from the line down the stretch to secure the 67-61 win.
Amber Murak led all scorers with 26 points. She made 9-18 from the field, including 3-8 from three, and added 5 of 6 from the line. She also tallied 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Dalayla Alexander added 13 points, while also registering 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Ella Gettings recorded her first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss drops Pitt-Bradford to 0-6 to start the season, and is now 0-1 to start AMCC play. They will be back in action on Friday, when they host Houghton in non-conference action. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. in KOA Arena.
