Bradford, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford hosted Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday, looking to pick up its first win of the year. The Panthers struggled to find their range in the first half and were unable to overcome their halftime deficit, ultimately falling 62-47.
The Panthers fell behind early in the game as the visitors scored the first 5 points of the game. Amber Murak worked to keep the Panthers in range of the Bobcats, hitting a three to start the scoring for Pitt-Bradford. She later added a layup and another three, tallying all of the Panthers' points in the quarter. Pitt-Greensburg scored 17 points in the quarter and headed to the second with a 17-8 lead.
Murak started the 2nd quarter with a short jumper, but saw her basket matched a possession later. Dalayla Alexander became the second Panther to score, making a pair of free throws at the 8:44 mark in the quarter, but her free throws were followed by a 10-0 Bobcat run. Murak stopped the rally with two free throws; however, it was all the Panthers could muster, and they finished the half trailing 31-14.
The visitors started the 3rd quarter where they left off before halftime, scoring the first 6 points of the quarter before Alexander made two more from the line to get the Panthers back on the board. It started a 12-0 run for the Panthers that saw them cut the lead to 12. Stacy Sequeira followed the free throws with a layup, while Alexander added a three-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play later in the rally. Abigail Goss answered a Pitt-Greensburg layup with one of her own, but the Bobcats finished the quarter with 4 unanswered, sending the game to its final period with the Panthers trailing 43-27.
Pitt-Bradford fell further behind at the start of the 4th, as they allowed the visitors to go on a 7-2 run. Murak had a layup in the middle of the rally. Alexander made a fast break layup and a three from the wing on two straight possessions; however, her baskets were matched by the Bobcats. Trailing by 25 with 5:30 to go, the Panthers put together one final rally. It began with six straight from Goss, before Alexander made two free throws, Murak completed a three-point play, and Sequeira added a layup. Unfortunately, the Panther rally stopped with two minutes to go, and the Bobcats scored the final three points of the game.
Amber Murak led all scorers with 18 points. She also collected 5 rebounds. Dalayla Alexander added 17, including making all 7 of her free throw attempts. She also had 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Abigail Goss finished with 8 points, while also grabbing 6 rebounds. Molly Cady led the team with 8 rebounds, while Ella Gettings tallied 6 rebounds and 5 steals.
The loss drops the Panthers to 0-8 on the season, with a 0-2 record in AMCC play. They will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 13th, when they host LaRoche. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. in KOA Arena.
