Nov. 1, 2001
PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team opened up its 2001-02 exhibition campaign in style, shooting its way to an impressive 98-78 victory over the Pittsburgh Women Basketball Association (PWBA) Thursday night at Fitzgerald Field House.
Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 21-6 advantage at the 13:05 mark of the first half as sophomore Sheila Stufflet (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson Senior) connected for six points during the opening seven minutes. The Panthers extended their lead to as many as 18 points, 38-20, with just over six minutes remaining in the half and held a 52-40 lead at halftime.
Senior Bettina Love (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) shot a perfect 5-for-5 in the first stanza and totaled 10 points to lead all Panthers at the break. For the half, Pittsburgh shot 47 percent from the field, but PWBA bettered that by draining 49 percent of its shots.
Pittsburgh continued to light up the scoreboard in the second half, widening its lead to as many as 30 points (95-65), following a 21-8 run sparked by five points from freshman Haley Harguth (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton). The Panthers fell short of reaching the century mark in scoring, but cruised to the easy 20-point victory.
Six Panthers scored in double figures, including junior Mandy Wittenmyer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who shared game-high honors with 17 points (6-of-8 shooting) and grabbed eight boards. Fellow junior Brooke Stewart (North Versailles, Pa./East Allegheny) chipped in 15 points, including two 3-pointers, while Love had 14 points, junior Laine Selwyn (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) added 12 points and Stufflet and Harguth each finished with 10 points.
Stufflet added a team-best nine boards as the Panthers dominated the glass, outrebounding PWBA 52-32. Love also dished out a game-high seven assists while committing just one turnover.
Former Duquesne University standout Maja Kaularic led PWBA with 17 points, while ex-Panther Connie Hurt tallied 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Pittsburgh concludes its exhibition schedule next Friday as it hosts M.I. Express at 7 p.m. in Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers open up the regular season the following Friday, Nov. 16, with a contest at home against William & Mary. Tip off is slated for 8 p.m. and follows the men's basketball team season opener against Morgan State.
