Pitt used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to take control and never look back as it claimed a 78-74 victory over Ohio State Wednesday in Value City Arena.
Ameryst Alston gave the Buckeyes (4-4) hope as she hit her only three-pointer of the night to cut the lead to two at 76-74 with 45 seconds left. But Pitt’s (5-2) Monica Wignot grabbed an offensive rebound and Brianna Kiesel hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to seal the win.
Four Buckeyes scored in double-figures on the night led by freshman Kelsey Mitchell’s 21 points. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and had five assists for the first double-double of her career.
Junior Cait Craft had her best night of the year as she tied a career-high with five three-pointers and finished with 20 points. Alston had 16 points and a team-high three steals while Alexa Hart notched her second-straight double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Kiesel led the Panthers with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Wignot chipped-in with 16 points and five rebounds while Yacine Diop added 14 points and nine boards.
The first half was an up-and-down affair for both sides. Each team each team enjoyed multiple 7-0 runs but they also had pronounced droughts at times.
An Alston lay-in sparked an 11-2 run that included Craft’s third three-pointer of the half. That dug the Buckeyes out of a four-point hole and gave them a 33-28 lead with three and half minutes until halftime. Kiesel hit a running three-pointer at the first half buzzer to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Buckeyes in front 37-36.
The second half was played just as close as the first as there were 14 times and 13 lead changes in the game. Pitt took a 64-57 after a Fred Potvin three-pointer and was able to keep the Buckeyes at arm’s length the rest of the way. Craft’s fifth three-pointer of the night trimmed the lead to 74-71 with three minutes to play but the Buckeyes came up empty on their next three possessions before Alston’s three-pointer with less than a minutes to play.
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