Michigan
(2-1)
Pittsburgh
(2-1)
Wolverines Drop Road Contest to Pittsburgh
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2014
Site: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Petersen Events Center)
Score: Pittsburgh 85, Michigan 64
Records: U-M (2-1), Pitt (2-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Nov. 23 -- vs. Western Michigan (Crisler Center), 2 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team got a double-double from senior Cyesha Goree but dropped an 85-64 decision at Pittsburgh on Thursday night (Nov. 20) at the Petersen Events Center.
Senior Shannon Smith led the way offensively with 17 points, with freshman Katelynn Flaherty chipping in 13 and junior Madison Ristovski going for 11. Goree recorded her third straight double-double, going for 10 points and 16 rebounds. Michigan shot 38.1 percent (24-for-63) compared to 51.7 percent (30-for-58) for Pitt, including a 50 percent (13-for-26) clip from three-point range.
A Flaherty triple and a senior Nicole Elmblad short corner jumper to start the second half trimmed the Pitt lead to 10 (43-33) and forced a Panther timeout with 17:50 left in the game. Goree scored on the next U-M possession, followed by Smith taking a charge and scoring on the other end to cap a 9-0 Maize and Blue run to start the half. Pitt, however, answered with 10 straight points to take a 53-37 lead with 13:42 left.
The Panthers continued their run, taking a 19-point lead, 58-39, off a Brianna Keisel jumper at the 12:32 mark. Three free throws from Smith and a putback from Goree cut the lead to 14 with 9:38 left. A Ristovski triple with 8:10 left followed by back-to-back Smith layups in transition to get within 11 at the 5:54 mark.
Pitt hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions, pushing its lead back to 16, 70-54, with a little more than five minutes remaining. The Panthers kept the double-digit lead the rest of the way en route to the win.
Michigan fell behind early in the first half, facing a 10-point deficit (17-7) with 13:56 left. Four straight U-M points from Flaherty and Smith pulled the Wolverines back within six at the 13:01 mark. The Panthers pushed their lead back to double-digits until a fast break lay-up from Goree got Michigan within eight points, 28-20, with 6:35 left in the half.
Pitt pushed its lead to 17 on its final possession of half, but freshman Jillian Dunston converted on a putback to send the teams to the break with Pitt holding a 43-28 lead. The Panthers shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) in the half, compared to 43.3 percent (13-for-30) for the Maize and Blue. Michigan also turned it over 12 times in the half, leading to 19 Pitt points. Goree led the way for Michigan with eight points and five rebounds, while Flaherty scored seven and Smith tallied six.
Michigan returns home on Sunday (Nov. 23) to host Western Michigan at 2 p.m. inside Crisler Center. [ Tickets ]
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
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