Pitt Loses 79-70 to Boston College, Falling to 0-3 in ACC Play

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt women’s basketball team failed to capture their first ACC win of the season against Boston College on Sunday afternoon, suffering a 79-70 loss at Petersen Events Center.

Whoever said basketball was a game of runs, was spot on after seeing how this game played out on the hardwood.

To open the second half, the Eagles went on an 11-2 run and then Pitt went on its own 11-0 run to make it 50-48 in favor of Boston College. The Panthers forced four turnovers in just 2:11 of game time during that run.

The final 10 minutes was filled with back and forth action, as both teams were seeking their first conference win. It was a one-possession game until just under 3 minutes remained. The Boston College guards knocked in two straight 3-pointers to seal the deal. Pitt failed to make a field goal in the final 3:20.

But this was a nail-biter for the other 37 minutes. The game of runs was evident midway through the first quarter.

Pitt trailed in the first few minutes of the game, then coach Lance White subbed in freshman forward Rita Igbokwe, who caught the ball in the post and scored on her first three touches, sparking a 13-0 run.

Junior guard Gabbie Green drilled two 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the Panthers held onto a 17-13 lead.

Boston College opened up the second quarter on an 11-0 run of their own. The Panthers failed to finish easy tries around the rim, while the Eagles seemed to connect on every shot that they threw towards the hoop.

Green hit one of her four 3-pointers to beat the halftime buzzer and trim the Boston College lead to just one point heading into the break, 36-35.

Green led the Panthers in scoring with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Igbokwe handled her business in the post, scoring 12 points, going 6-of-10 from the field. She also blocked two shots, had two steals, and snatched five rebounds. Senior Aysia Bugg finished with 10 points and six assists.

Boston College point guard Makayla Dickins finished with four 3-pointers of her own and led the Eagles with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field.

The Panthers will now travel to play Virginia Tech (11-3, 1-2 ACC) on Jan. 9 in Blacksburg, Va.

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