As snow fell throughout the Steel City on Tuesday, Pitt ended its cold streak on the road in Chestnut Hill with an 83-80 victory over Boston College on Tuesday evening.
The Panthers (5-9, 3-8 ACC) scored 44 points in the paint and had 34 points from off the bench. Those marks and an 81% effort from the free-throw line allowed the Panthers to make up for a rough 4 of 21 night from 3-point range.
Pitt was led by Jayla Everett’s 22 points and seven assists and Dayshanette Harris added 15 points of her own.
Boston College (5-9, 1-9 ACC) shot 44.3% from the field and made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the loss. BC’s 18 turnovers and slight disadvantage in terms of free throw attempts gave Pitt enough room to pull out a victory.
The Eagles were paced by Taylor Soule’s 27 points and 12 rebounds. Makayla Dickens tacked on 13 points, a few of which were well timed three pointers that kept the Eagles in the game up until the final moments.
Much like Sunday’s game, Tuesday’s contest started as a game of runs.
Marnelle Garraud popped a quick 3-pointer for Boston College that allowed them to go on an early scoring run. The run in question was aided by three Pitt turnovers in the game’s first two minutes.
The Panthers remained composed and matched the up-tempo pace set by the Eagles, going on an 11-4 run of their own. Dayshanette Harris ran the floor during this stretch, scoring six of her nine first half points.
After the dueling runs on offense, it was Boston College that held the hot hand in the quarter’s final minutes. Second chance opportunities for Boston College frustrated Pitt during this stint. One instance, in particular, that saw the Eagles get three shots in one possession led to a frustrated Lance White calling a timeout. The Eagles’ 10-0 run was emphatically capped off with a Cameron Schwartz buzzer beater that put Pitt down by 13 after one, 29-16.
Pitt’s inspired start to the second quarter allowed them to quickly trim the gap to single digits. Good ball movement and utilizing their bigs gave the Panthers an eight point advantage in the paint during the period, in addition to shifting the momentum on the offensive glass.
Though Boston College held a lead at half, Pitt trailed by just 10 points, 44-34.
In what felt like a role reversal of most of Pitt’s recent games, it was the Panthers that came out of the halftime break firing on all cylinders.
Amber Brown continued Pitt’s crusade to take over the paint, scoring the first four points of the quarter. After a Harris layup, Gabbie Green managed to get a steal off of the inbound pass and get a shooting foul called as she went up for a quick layup. The hustle play exemplified how the Panthers played the rest of the game and served as a key turning point.
A 9-0 run for Pitt eventually led to their first lead of the game afte Everett threaded the needle to Tracey Hueston under the basket for a lay-in. Boston College struck back, but Everett drew a foul in the final seconds of the quarter that resulted in Pitt reclaiming the lead.
Everett kept firing and scored five straight points for the Panthers after the Eagles knotted the game up at 66 just a few seconds prior. Brown later found success in the paint to put Pitt ahead by seven, but the Eagles Taylor Soule and Makalya Dickens fought on the offensive side to keep Pitt from getting out of striking distance.
Striking distance is exactly where Boston College was when the game entered its final minute of regulation. After trailing by six points just seconds earlier, a jump ball led to Makayla Dickens knocking down a three that made it a one point game with 43 seconds to play.
Following an offensive rebound, Destiny Strother unsuccessfully shot a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, despite Pitt being in front and there being no shot clock. Luckily, a jump ball on the rebound gave possession to the Panthers.
Everett made one of her two free throws before Boston College took over. After calling a timeout following the ball being knocked out of play, Soule turned the ball over and allowed Pitt to ice the game for their first win since Jan. 28.
Up next for Pitt is a tough challenge against No. 3 Louisville on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
