The Boston College women’s basketball team lives and dies by the 3-pointer—it shoots from long range more than any other team in the ACC.
The Eagles had the deep ball working all afternoon, but the University of Pittsburgh had an answer for every BC dagger—and then some. Despite 18 points from Kelly Hughes, the Eagles dropped yet another ACC road game, this time to Pitt, 78-70. The Eagles fall to 9-11 overall this season and 1-6 within the conference.
Petersen Events Center was decked out in pink for the matinee in honor of Pitt’s eighth annual “Pink The Petersen” Breast Cancer Awareness game. The Panthers wore special pink jerseys, while many of the fans in attendance sported special-edition pink t-shirts.
BC jumped out to an early lead thanks to the hot hand of Hughes, who scored 11 of her points in the first half. Former Pitt volleyball player Monica Wignot and senior guard Brianna Kiesel paced a roaring comeback for the Panthers, though, as the duo shot a combined 7-of-11 from beyond the arc during the first 20 minutes.
The Eagles placed a heavier emphasis on interior scoring in the second half. The ball found its way to center Karima Gabriel much more often, and the six-foot-two redshirt junior capitalized on her opportunities. She scored a career high 14 points against the Panthers, and her rise as an offensive threat opened up more chances for BC’s guards to let it fly.
Pitt and BC traded blows back and forth for the last 10 minutes of the game, but the shots that BC was hitting during clutch time just two days ago against Duke were just not falling Saturday.
The Panthers launched an 15-0 run in the final minutes to pull away from BC, whose 3-point shooting wasn’t enough to keep it in the game. Kiesel finished with a game-high 29 points, while Wignot and forward Yacine Diop each added 18 points. The Eagles had four of their starters finish with double digit points.
Featured Image by Arthur Bailin / Heights Editor
