Pittsburgh, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's basketball team faced a tough task on Saturday as it traveled to Pittsburgh for a matchup with 1st place La Roche. The Panthers struggled to break the Redhawks pressure defense and were ultimately defeated 119-36.

The hosts jumped out to a 12-0 lead before Pitt-Bradford was able to get on the board with an Amber Murak three-pointer after two and a half minutes of play. The long ball was followed by another two minutes scoreling drought that ended with another Murak jumper at 5:23 remaining in the quarter. Murak added a layup a few minutes later, but it was all the Panthers could muster as they trailed 32-7 after the first.

The La Roche rally continued into the 2nd quarter, as the hosts scored the first 10 points of the period. Dalayla Alexander broke the run when she converted an old-fashioned three-point play after four minutes of action. She added a layup a possession later and a pair of free throws with 3:40 left in the half. In the final minutes of the quarter, Murak made a free throw, a three and a layup, sending the game to the break with Pitt-Bradford trailing 55-20. 

The situation did not improve for the Panthers in the third. After an early Ella Gettings and two Murak free throws, the Panthers ran into foul trouble and had to rely on their already-shortened bench. The Panthers failed to score over the last 7:50 of the quarter, while the hosts, using their pressure defense, scored 34 unanswered, with all but two coming off of Panther turnovers. 

Pitt-Bradford started the final period strongly, outscoring La Roche 8-2 over the first three minutes of play. Murak added two more jumpers on consecutive possessions, but the Panthers could not maintain the momentum. The Redhawks locked back down after the second Murak basket and kept the Panthers off the scoreboard for the final 5:44 of play. 

Amber Murak led Pitt-Bradford with 19 points in the loss. She also grabbed 6 rebounds. Ella Gettings added 8 points, as she was limited to just 16 minutes of play due to foul trouble. Dalayla Alexander scored 7, while also tallying 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Raquel Sewell led the team with 7 rebounds and added two points. 

The Panthers drop to 0-18 on the season with a 0-10 mark in AMCC play. They will be right back in action on Monday, when they travel to Penn State-Altoona for another AMCC tilt. Tipoff is slated for 5:00 p.m.