ALFRED, NY – For the second straight game, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg women's basketball team picked up a huge road win over a previously unbeaten AMCC opponent. The Bobcats rolled past Alfred State on their home court this afternoon, 74-61, to improve to 5-0 in the AMCC.
Melina Maietta came out firing, scoring 16 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 mark from beyond the arc. The freshman guard finished the game with 20 points and had six rebounds and six assists.
Senior, Nadege Durand also had a strong start to the game, with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes, and finished with a game high 22 on 10-of-18 shooting.
Shaquoia McCray posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Half of her rebounds came on the offensive glass. Maddie Sitler added 10 points and filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, six assists, as well as a block and a steal.
Half of Maietta's 16 first-half points came in the first quarter to help put the Bobcats up by double digits early. She sunk her second three-pointer of the game at the two-minute mark in the first quarter to cap off a 19-5 run to start the game for Pitt-Greensburg.
The Bobcats held Alfred State to 3-of-14 shooting in the first quarter and no three pointers, while they shot 45% on 20 attempts and drained a pair of triples, both by Maietta.
Pitt-Greensburg continued the strong start into the second quarter, as they kept their advantage at double digits or more. The Bobcat lead got up to 19 points, which was the largest of the game, off a 9-2 run over three minutes at the end of the half, before the Pioneers made a free throw in the final seconds to make it 39-21 at the break.
The Bobcats remained up by double figures for the entire second half, as the teams went back and forth for the final two frames, but the first half Bobcat surge proved to be the difference maker.
Rebounding went in Pitt-Greensburg's favor yet again, as they owned a +21 margin (54-33) on the boards. It was a team effort, as ten of the eleven Bobcats that saw action pulled down multiple rebounds.
Maietta and Sitler's six assists each lead the passing efforts for the Bobcats, who had 20 assists as a team.
For the second consecutive game, the Blue and Gold defense held their opposition to just one made three pointer. Today, Alfred State went 1-for-12, while the AMCC leading Bobcat sharpshooters connected on 37.5% of their triple attempts, making six.
Today's victory was the 10th of the season for the Bobcats, making them 10-2 overall. This is the quickest the Bobcats have gotten to 10 wins since the 2008-09 team, who went on to win the AMCC regular season and tournament championships, started 10-1.
Pitt-Greensburg will return home for their next contest on Monday. They will be playing their third straight game against an unbeaten AMCC foe. This time Penn State Behrend, who sits at 6-0 in the conference, comes to town. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm inside Chambers Hall.
Fans can follow the Bobcats all season long online at PittGreensburgAthletics.com, as well as on Twitter (@upgbobcats), Instagram (@UPG_athletics), and Facebook (@UPGbobcats).
