Pitt took an early double-digit lead on the road against Boston College Tuesday night, but bad turnovers, poor rebounding and bad execution on offense did them in as they fell, 69-57.
The Panthers (11-14 overall, 2-12 ACC) had difficulty stopping the Eagles (16-9 overall, 7-7 ACC) from out-rebounding them. They allowed 16 offensive rebounds compared to only six of their own and were outrebounded overall, 38-27, by the Eagles. The Panthers are the one of the best rebounding teams in the country and the best in the ACC, averaging 45 a game, but couldn’t stop the Eagles in this loss.
Pitt started off on a 10-0 run, capitalizing on a sloppy play from Boston College, who committed four turnovers. Four different Pitt players contributed to the run, which finished on a 3-pointer by junior guard Dayshanette Harris.
The Eagles took a 10-7 advantage the rest of the period to cut the lead to 17-10 going into the second quarter. They scored their 10 points in the final three minutes of the first quarter, with senior guard Cameron Swartz leading the way with six points on two 3-pointers.
Pitt kept Boston College away with an 8-6 advantage halfway through the second period.
The Eagles changed up their approach defensively, particularly by utilizing the half-court press to force the Panthers into turnovers and easy layups.
This helped Boston College take a 11-1 run over the final two minutes into halftime, to take a 27-26 lead. Boston College scored 13 of their 17 points in the period off seven Pitt turnovers.
Senior forward Taylor Soule scored 13 of the 17 points in the second quarter to lead the Eagles, scoring many off those turnovers.
Pitt had difficulty scoring, as well as holding onto the ball, and did not make a field goal in the final five minutes of the period.
Boston College jumped out to a 17-3 run in the first six minutes of the third quarter, to take a 44-29 lead. Swartz led her team with eight points on three free throws, a 3-pointer and a layup.
The Panthers responded with a 14-2 run to cut the lead to just three with just four seconds remaining. Sophomore guard Taisha Exanor and Harris led the Panthers with five points each to bring their team back in the game.
Soule hit a long 3-pointer buzzer beater to extend the lead to six, 49-43, to gain some momentum back for the Eagles.
Pitt managed to keep the lead at four early in the fourth, thanks to two free throws from sophomore guard/forward Liatu King and a layup from Harris.
Boston College went on a 12-4 run to take a 12 point lead at the media timeout, with first-year forward Ally VanTimerren scoring six points to lead her team.
The Panthers regressed back to the second quarter where they didn’t create many chances to score and the Eagles took control and coasted to a 12 point victory.
Pitt’s leading scorer, senior guard Jayla Everett did not play against Boston College, due to a coach’s decision.
Boston College’s two best players in senior guard Cameron Swartz and senior forward Taylor Soule caused Pitt problems all night. The duo scored 22 and 26 points, respectively, combining for 48 of the 69 points their team scored. The 26 points for Soule are a season-high for her.
Pitt had this same issue Sunday against Syracuse’s Teisha Hyman and Alaysia Styles. They scored career-highs and combined for 52 of their team’s 67 points in the comeback win over Pitt.
This is now back-to-back games that the Panthers have blown a double-digit lead and lost, as they lost a double-digit lead in the second quarter against the Orange on Sunday.
Pitt travels this Thursday, Feb. 17 to take on Miami at 7 p.m. looking to break their losing streak.
