Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Pittsburgh
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Strong Second Half Propels Women's Basketball Past Pittsburgh, 59-43
November 14, 2014 | Women's Basketball
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Starting the second half on a 16-0 run, the Princeton University women's basketball team opened its 2014-15 season with a 59-43 victory over the University of Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center.
Trailing 20-19 at the break, the Tigers held the Panthers without a point for the first 7:44 of the second half. Improving to 6-2 in season openers under eight-year head coach Courtney Banghart, Princeton returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 16 against Duquesne.
Netting all of her game-high 16 points in the second half, Michelle Miller also added seven rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Going 5-for-10 from the field, Blake Dietrick finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Matching a career-high with five blocks, Taylor Williams chipped in with eight points and six boards. Pulling down six rebounds, Annie Tarakchian also dished out a personal-best five helpers.
With early points at a premium, Princeton took a 4-0 lead on a Dietrick layup at 16:50. Recording the Panthers' first field goal, Stasha Carey responded with a triple to pull the home team within one. With neither squad able to add to its tally over the next several possessions, Amanda Berntsen drove baseline, laying it in for two. Scoring on a fastbreak layup moments later, the junior helped spark an 8-0 Tiger run over a span of 3:33.
Putting the brakes on a seven-plus minute scoring drought, Carey trimmed the Pitt deficit to seven with a layup at 8:43. With the Panthers still down seven with less than five minutes to play in the first, Brianna Kiesel knifed into the paint for two. A pair of Cora McManus free throws pulled Pitt within three at 16-13, before a Yacine Diop jumper at 3:19 once again made it a one-point game. Trailing 19-17 in the half's waning moments, Kiesel dialed it in from long distance, capping off a 9-3 run to give the Panthers their first lead of the game.
Regaining the momentum, Princeton opened the second half on a 16-0 run. Miller got things started with a turnaround jumper on the left baseline before Alex Wheatley connected down low to make it 23-20. After a pair of Williams free throws and a Vanessa Smith jumper, Miller converted a three-point play the old fashioned way to stretch the Tiger lead to 10. After a Williams bucket, Miller knocked down a triple from the right wing to up the margin to 35-20.
Snapping Pitt's scoreless streak, Monica Wignot netted the Panthers' first points of the half with a basket at 12:16. Dietrick responded by draining a three-pointer on Princeton's ensuing possession. Putting back a Miller miss, Leslie Robinson netted her first collegiate points at 10:55 before running the floor and getting another easy bucket to stake the Tigers to a 42-22 cushion.
Looking to cut into the Princeton margin, Pittsburgh pieced together a 7-0 spurt, pulling within 13 on a Kiesel layup at 7:06. Miller momentarily stemmed the tide with a pull-up jumper, but a 9-4 Panther stretch capped off by a Diop putback of a Kiesel missed free throw suddenly made it an eight-point game with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
Once again looking to Miller, the junior delivered, converting another three-point play to extend the lead to 50-39. Doing much of its damage from the free throw line down the stretch, Princeton went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final 3:59 to close out the game on a 12-4 run.
Held to just to 25.4 percent (16-for-63) shooting, Pittsburgh connected on just eight of its 35 shot attempts in the final 20 minutes. Going 2-for-24 from behind the arc, the Panthers were 0-for-12 from distance in the second half. Kiesel paced Pittsburgh with 14 points and six rebounds, while Carey had nine points and 11 boards.