Pitt Falls to Penn State, 78-73 in ACC-Big Ten Challenge

Throughout the 2019-20, the Pitt women’s basketball team has had trouble stringing together wins.

Coming off the Panthers’ most impressive win of the season over Ole Miss on Nov. 30, Pitt traveled to Penn State for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

The Panthers fought back from a first-half deficit, but couldn’t close the gap late, dropping a 78-73 decision to the rival Nittany Lions.

The first-year Panthers led the charge, as point guard Dayshanette Harris scored a career-high 26 points. Amber Brown had 16 points and 12 rebounds for her second straight double-double.

But the Panthers had no answer for Lions sophomore guard Kamaria McDaniel, who scored 40 points on 14 of 28 shooting, and also made 15 trips to the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 15.

Pitt’s proclivity for fouling meant the Panthers had to finish the game without Harris and Emy Hayford, who each fouled out. Hayford had nine points and three rebounds.

Senior Aysia Bugg was a threat from 3-point range, where she was 3 for 9, but was held to 3 of 14 from inside the arc for 11 points in 38 minutes.

First-year Penn State guard Makenna Marisa, a Peters Township grad, had nine points and seven rebounds for the Lions.

Pitt (3-5) will return home for two games at Petersen Events Center, as the Panthers host Stony Brook on Sunday at 2 p.m. and Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.