University Heights, OH -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team had a tough challenge on Monday evening as they headed to John Carroll to face the 10th-ranked Blue Streaks. The Panthers struggled to keep up with John Carroll and fell 112-41.
The Panthers started fast, matching John Carroll's five early points with a three-pointer by Amber Murak and a jumper from Ella Gettings. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep pace after the Gettings bucket, and the Blue Streaks rolled off 10 straight points. Murak ended the run with a layup, but it was followed by another Pitt-Bradford scoring draught that saw John Carroll push their lead to 16. Murak and Zennette Zigler combined for three free throws in the last few minutes, while their effort was matched by the hosts, who finished the period with a 31-10 lead.
John Carroll opened the second with a 9-0 run before Murak got the Panthers on the board with a pair of free throws. Gettings made a short jumper with 4:15 left in the half, ending an 11-minute drought from the field. It was in the midst of an 18-4 run that also included two free throws by Raquel Sewell. Dalayla Alexander added a late jumper, but the hosts hit two more three-pointers in the final minute to send the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford trailing 64-18.
The hosts continued their run as the 2nd half began, scoring the first 10 points of the 3rd quarter. Murak stopped another run with a driving layup. It started the Panthers' best offensive stretch of the game, as a minute later, they scored on three straight possessions. A Murak layup was followed by an Alexander three and a tip-in from Sewell. Alexander added another layup in the quarter, but the Blue Streaks closed with a 7-0 run to end the quarter.
The Panthers were able to score first in the fourth as Alexander made a jumper in the lane on Pitt-Bradford's second possession. Murak added two more layups and a three-pointer in the quarter. Abigail Goss closed the game with two free throws, putting the final score at 112-41.
Amber Murak led all scorers in the game with 19 points. Dalayla Alexander added 9 points, while also tallying 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Raquel Sewell and Zennette Zigler each grabbed 7 rebounds in the loss.
Pitt-Bradford falls to 0-12 on the season with the loss. The Panthers will be back in action on Thursday, when they return to AMCC play with a home matchup against Alfred State. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game will include a halftime game played by teams from the Bradford Youth Girls Basketball League.
