PITTSBURGH, PA – The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg women's basketball team made the quick 48-hour turnaround to play a rescheduled contest against the preseason favorite in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, La Roche University, this evening. The Bobcats kept their momentum rolling and downed the Redhawks in their home gym, 68-60.
It was a battle of unbeaten squads in conference play, and Pitt-Greensburg stays perfect in the early slate, at 4-0, while La Roche moves to 2-1.
Sidney McCully led the Bobcats for the fourth straight game in the scoring column, as she poured in a game-high 22 points, tying her career high. Melina Maietta scored 11, which featured a 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line in crunch time. Senior, Nadege Durand added 10, she has been in double-digits for ten of eleven games this season.
The Bobcats owned control of the boards all night, outrebounding the Redhawks by 18 including a 15-3 mark on the offensive end. Those offensive rebounds led to 19 second chance points for the Blue and Gold, while La Roche was only able to muster three points in that aspect of the game. Maddie Sitler tied her career high to lead all players with 12 rebounds. Durand had eight, while McCully and Shaquoia McCray had seven apiece.
The first half proved to be the difference maker for the second game in a row. After a back-and-forth battle to start the game, McCully went on a 4-0 run of her own to put Pitt-Greensburg ahead, 14-10, late in the first quarter. La Roche tied the contest in the middle of the second frame, but the Bobcats responded with a 12-2 run to get a double-digit lead for the first time, at the three-minute mark. Lizzie Penrose drained a three-pointer in the Bobcats' final possession of the half to send them into the locker-room up by 12, 32-20.
Pitt-Greensburg never let the game get back within seven points in the second half and kept it at a double-digit advantage for most of the half. Durand made a layup near the eight-minute mark in the fourth to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the game, at 18 points.
Maietta and McCully iced the game in the final minute from the free throw line, going a combined 7-of-8.
The Bobcats continue to pour it in from beyond the arc, they made seven three-pointers today and lead the conference in team three-point percentage. McCully (3-for-6) and Lizzie Penrose (2-for-4) each went 50% from distance.
Defensively, Pitt-Greensburg held the Redhawks to their worst three-point output of the season, with only one triple. La Roche was able to get the inside working and shot 52.2 percent from the field, however it would not be enough. This was the first time La Roche (6-4) lost a game this season that they shot over 32.5 percent in.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak to La Roche for the Bobcats.
Pitt-Greensburg (9-2) will return to action on Saturday, when they make the trip to New York to take on Alfred State, who is also 4-0 in league play. The Pioneers have had their previous four scheduled games postponed. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 pm.
Fans can follow the Bobcats all season long online at PittGreensburgAthletics.com, as well as on Twitter (@upgbobcats), Instagram (@UPG_athletics), and Facebook (@UPGbobcats).
