By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – Looking to enter the Thanksgiving break on a positive note, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s women’s basketball team earned their first win of the season, defeating Penn St.-DuBois 83-76 behind Alexa Ackerman’s 22 points.
The early goings of the season have not been kind to the Lady Panthers. Through their opening four games, Pitt-Bradford has seen three double-digit losses, including a 89-49 loss to Houghton on Friday. With conference play approaching, they knew they needed to kick start their season sooner rather than later.
Matching up against the Lady Lions, the size disparity was undeniable. PS DuBois’ tandem forwards of Elizabeth Hungiville and Natalie Bowser presented a threat in the paint, something the Lady Lions looked to expose early as they immediately fed the post. On defense, PS DuBois pushed Pitt-Bradford outside, forcing them to settle for jump shots.
“We knew they had the advantage in the paint, but we’ve been working on boxing out and checking out,” said Pitt-Bradford head coach Melloni Benson. “We’ve got to use our bodies.”
Throughout the first quarter, the Lady Panthers struggled to connect on their jumpers, initially falling behind 10-2 with five minutes remaining. However, with only a few minutes left to go, Paige Gratto found a spark. After sinking two shots from the freethrow line, she drove through traffic and to the rim for a spinning post maneuver and two points. While the Lady Panthers couldn’t stop PS DuBois from collecting rebounds for second chance points, they were able to finally find a rhythm on offense, going into the second down 16-10.
Pitt-Bradford came into the second quarter with a renewed effort on the glass, evident from an offensive rebound and subsequent score from Yasmine Abu-Aiadeh. Raquel Sewell did the same, earning a successful three-point-play at the line before hitting a short corner jumpshot to tie the game at 18 with eight and a half minutes to go.
While PS DuBois would counter with five unanswered points immediately after, the Lady Panthers would find their rhythm once again. Gratto once again kicked off the scoring run with a floater before Shannon Shaw would hit the first 3-pointer of the day to tie the game at 24. Scoring tick-for-tack, with the Lady Lions earning points inside and the Lady Panthers earning them outside, the game was deadlocked for the next several minutes.
In the closing moments of the half, Pitt-Bradford took their first lead of the game at 29-28 before hitting back-to-back threes from Avery Benzel and Ackerman. Going into the break, the Lady Panthers held a 35-32 lead.
“I’ve been really on them about just being ready. They catch it and get ready to shoot, and by that time it’s too late. I’ve been encouraging them to get to their spots, hurry up and get there and line yourself up,” said Benson, whose squad shot 20 percent in the first quarter and 44 percent in the second. “Move the ball more and use each other more. Our offense is learning. Hopefully we can build on it.”
Having the momentum and confidence, Pitt-Bradford stayed hot during the 15-minute intermission. On the first possession of the third quarter, Gratto came away with a steal and assist to Abu-Aiadeh’s fastbreak score. While the Lady Lions tacked on four points in the post thereafter, Pitt-Bradford remained undeterred, with Ackerman hitting her first of three third-quarter 3-pointers in retaliation.
With long outlets in transition and quick passes to break PS DuBois’ 2-3 zone, the Lady Panthers pushed the pace and found open looks. Down low, Sewell continued to fight for box outs and rebounds while shooters around or beyond the arc continued to knock down jumpers. At the five minute mark, the Lady Panthers’ lead had expanded to nine.
Using their physicality in the paint, the Lady Lions began chipping away with trips to the charity stripe. While Ackerman and Co. were able to fend them off early, two and-ones from Hungiville cut the deficit five with one quarter to go.
The game plan stayed the same for Pitt-Bradford: shoot the ball. Leading the charge early was Katie Woolson, who opened the fourth-quarter scorebooks with back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a steal and assist to Abu-Adiadeh who scored the Lady Panthers’ eighth unanswered point.
“I’m never going to discourage them from shooting a shot that they’ve been working on every single day,” said Benson. “You know, we’ll miss some shots, we’ll miss a whole lot but we can also fill it up when we get good and warmed up. It might take a few misses but once we get going, we’re going.”
Again, PS DuBois responded with intentional attempts to draw fouls and get freebies from the line, a plan that worked as their forwards shot 71 percent from the line in the final quarter. However, Ackerman returned to center stage, knocking down long balls and coming away with steals that led to points on the fastbreak.
“After the second (3-pointer,) I was like, ‘we got this,’” said Ackerman, who hit three 3-pointers in the last five minutes of the game. “I knew we could keep going, keep pushing and get this win.”
With just three minutes left on the clock, the Lady Panthers held a seven-point advantage, a lead that would be tested as PS DuBois began to rally. Combining made free throws with accurate mid-range jumpers, the Lady Lions found themselves down just four. Faced with a sudden wave of pressure and just a minute to preserve their win, Abu-Aiadeh came up big.
Speeding down the court and weaving through contact, she reached out for a layup, sinking the shot and being fouled along the way. Completing the three-point-play with just 41 second remaining, Abu-Aiadeh sealed the Lady Panthers first win of the season.
“It feels good (to get my first win of my coaching career,)” said Benson, who joined the Lady Panthers this September. “I’m grateful and I’ll take as much as I can get.”
Ackerman finished with 22 points, shooting 6-for-18 from long range and also recording six assists and four rebounds. Abu-Aiadeh scored 18 points along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals while Gratto ended with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Entering the holiday break on a high note, the Lady Panthers will enjoy a 12-day break before their next game. However, coming back to KOA Arena on Saturday, Dec. 7, they will begin conference play with a game against Allegany Mountain Collegiate Conference leading Mt. Aloysius (4-1 overall.) Following that game, 16 of the Lady Panthers’ last 17 matchups will be against conference opponents.
“We just needed this so they can feel each other. I believe that every game we’re getting closer and closer with regards to culture,” said Benson. “The more our culture grows and expands, we’ll have more of this to see.”
