Feb. 3, 2000

Box Score

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh women's basketball team squandered an 8-point halftime and could not fend off a late St. John's rally as it fell, 56-47, to the host Red Storm Feb. 2 at Alumni Hall.

The Panthers built a 32-24 halftime lead and remained strong through the initial minutes of the second half. They held as much as an eight-point advantage, including a 42-34 margin at 11:29. St. John's mounted a furious rally and the Red Storm went on a 13-2 scoring surge over the ensuing seven minutes to go ahead, 47-44, at the 4:32 mark. Pittsburgh could not recover and the Panthers were held without a field goal for the final 8:03 of the game.

Pittsburgh shot 50 percent (14-of-28) in the first half, but were limited to just 15 points on 22.2 percent (6-of-27) shooting in the second (36.4 percent overall). St. John's shot 37.8 percent from the field for the game, making 17 of 45 shots.

The Panthers opened the game strongly and grabbed an 8-2 lead at 14:43. St. John's closed the gap to 8-5, but Pittsburgh went on a 11-6 run to go ahead by nine (20-11). The Panthers increased their margin to 10 points twice, and went into intermission ahead, 32-24.

Freshman forward Mandy Wittenmyer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led Pittsburgh with 13 points and 10 rebounds, marking her sixth double-double of the season. She also added four assists and two steals to her effort. Wittenmyer was followed by senior Gina Montesano (Rochester, N.Y./Mercy), who contributed 10 points and junior Celeste Barkley (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield), who had eight points and four steals.

The Panthers, who are 12-8 overall (3-6 Big East), return to action Saturday, Feb. 5 when they host Providence at Fitzgerald Field House. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.