CRESSON, Pa: The Pitt-Greensburg women's basketball team ended up on the wrong end of a 69-63 decision after a hard fought Wednesday night matchup at Mount Aloysius.
The loss drops the Bobcats to 10-14 on the year and 8-9 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the Mounties improve to 11-13 overall and also sit at 8-9 in conference play.
Despite the defeat, Pitt-Greensburg punches their ticket to the AMCC's postseason tournament for the fifth straight season under the direction of Coach Erin Eaton. The Bobcats will have to wait for Saturday's results to determine seeding due to D'Youville also posting an 8-9 AMCC mark, joining UPG and MTA in a three way tie for the #4 through #6 spots.
Wednesday's matchup was a close throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points through all four quarters. On 10 occasions the score would sit deadlocked and eight times the lead would change, keeping the game in question until the final quarter. The Bobcats made their final push with 8:10 remaining in the game, beginning when
Casey Hamilton (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) fought her way to the hoop for a layup, drawing a foul in the process. Hamilton converted, pulling UPG even at 54-54.
Kelsey Oddis (Lower Burrell, PA, Burrell) put the visitors up with two free throws 37 seconds later followed by an
Amanda Estok (Monroeville, PA, Gateway) jumper, placing UPG atop a 58-54 advantage with 6:41 remaining. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Mount Aloysius put together a 15-5 run to close out the game, securing a 69-63 victory on their home court.
Pitt-Greensburg finished the night shooting 37.2% from the floor, 25% from three, and 72.4% from the foul line. Only a razor's edge could separate them from the Mounties, 37.5%, 36%, and 70% output. The rebounding edge would go to MTA, once again by a slight margin, 44-39.
Oddis turned in another strong effort, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead all players in both categories.
Emily Nelson (New Stanton, PA, Hempfield) also finished in double-figures with 13 points and dished out a game-high eight assists.
The Bobcats close out the regular season with an 8:00pm senior-day showdown against Penn State Behrend at Mount Aloysius on Saturday, February 20th. A win over Behrend could pay major dividends, giving UPG not just a victory, but one with tie-breaking implications. If Pitt-Greensburg can pay homage to their seniors in winning fashion, they'd secure wins over the #2 & #3 seeded teams, giving them the edge in the race for #4 and the home playoff game that goes with it.
