Pitt Returns to Action Thursday at No. 21 NC State

Last Time Out – vs. SMU
Pitt stormed back to knock off SMU, 72-59, Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.Up Next
The Panthers return home to face No. 14 North Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 19. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.Scouting the WolfpackIn the backcourt, junior guard Marley Washenitz added 14 points, hitting three of her eight shots from behind the arc and senior guard Brooklynn Miles notched eight assists in the contest. Pitt shot 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the stripe, led by Miles who made all six of her attempts.Faye has been the catalyst in that regard individually, ranking seventh nationally in free throw attempts. Of note, Pitt went perfect (13-of-13) from the free throw line against then-No. 13 Georgia Tech and 14-of-16 from the chalk against Louisville.Complete Team Effort
Against SMU, Pitt’s offense was led by redshirt sophomore guard Mikayla Johnson, who scored 22, and graduate center Khadija Faye, who scored 21. Both players combined for 18 rebounds. Of note, Faye tallied a career-high-tying six blocks. From the Stripe
The Panthers have gotten to the charity stripe at a solid rate, ranking second in the ACC with 328 free throw attempts this season.Elmore evened the contest at 49 following a top-of-the-arc 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter. Washenitz sank another 3-pointer off of a Miles assist, before fouling out of the contest. Elmore gave Pitt a three-point lead with under five minutes remaining with another 3-pointer from a Miles assist. Faye found Battle open under the basket at the 3:36 mark as Pitt extended its lead to six at 61-55. With under two minutes remaining, Johnson collected a pass from Faye and made a contested layup to extend Pitt’s lead to eight. The Panthers ended the contest on a 6-0 run to complete the 32-point comeback.The Panthers rallied to outscore SMU, 28-0, in the frame. Faye was a force in the third, netting back-to-back buckets after being fouled on both. Washenitz buried a fast break triple to cut the SMU lead to 12 with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Faye scored 12 in the frame as the Panthers trailed by just three, 49-46, entering the final 10 minutes. The Mustangs raced out to a 13-3 lead to open the game before the first media timeout. SMU used a blistering 11-2 run to extend its lead to 24-5. Pitt shot just eight percent (1-for-13) from the field and SMU made seven 3-pointers as the Mustangs led 32-7 after the first quarter. Johnson hit Pitt’s first 3-pointer of the game after being freed up by a screen from Elmore to open the second quarter. Johnson scored seven of Pitt’s 11 points in the frame, but the Panthers trailed 49-18 at halftime. PITTSBURGH – Coming off the largest regulation comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history, Pitt will travel to face No. 21-ranked NC State Thursday evening at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum.

• Thursday will mark the 14th all-time meeting between Pitt and NC State.
• The Panthers have dropped nine straight to the Wolfpack, dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.
• NC State owns a 5-1 ledger at home in the series.

Need to Know – Game 19
Pitt (9-9, 1-4 ACC) at No. 21 NC State (12-4, 4-1 ACC)
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
Raleigh, N.C. – James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum

• Following a Final Four appearance a year ago, No. 21 NC State has compiled a 12-4 record this season, including wins over then-No. 18 Ole Miss and Louisville.
• The Wolfpack has three players averaging 10 or more points in Aziah James, Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers.
• As a team, NC State scores over 74 points per contest – good for eighth in the ACC.
• The Wolfpack is unbeaten at home this season, boasting a 9-0 record.

The Panthers, who trailed by 32 points with 1:37 remaining in the first half, outscored SMU 54-10 in the second half, including a 28-0 third period.Of note, Pitt limited SMU to just three two-point field goals for the game without allowing any in the final 31:06 of action.Pitt’s stout defense didn’t allow an SMU point in the third quarter, marking the least number of points allowed in a quarter in program history. Pitt used an 8-0 run behind a 100-percent-shooting stretch (3-for-3) in the third quarter to chip into the SMU lead and force a Mustang timeout. Series HistoryThe Opening Tip
Rewriting the Record Books
Pitt completed the largest regulation comeback win in NCAA women’s basketball history in its 72-59 win over SMU Sunday afternoon in the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ACCNX.