Dec. 17, 2001

Box Score

STATE COLLEGE-Despite four players scoring in double figures, the University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team suffered a 78-63 defeat to No. 23 Penn State on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Panthers fell to 3-6 overall while the Lady Lions improved to 6-3.

Mandy Wittenmyer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led Pittsburgh with 14 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Haley Harguth (Beaverton, Ore./Beaverton) connected on four 3-pointers en route to 12 points. Bettina Love (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) and Laine Selwyn (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) each poured in 10 points.

The Panthers jumped out to a 15-11 lead at the 11:31 mark of the first half, but the Lady Lions darted to a 9-0 run and finished the half with a 37-31 advantage.

Pittsburgh shot just 36 percent from the field in the first half while Penn State managed to knock down 50 percent of its shots.

In the second half, the Lady Lions built a 10-point lead (43-33) with 18:16 remaining, but Pittsburgh responded with a 25-13 spurt to grab a 58-56 lead. However, Penn State went on a 22-5 run to finish the game.

For the game, Pittsburgh shot just 62 percent from the free throw line as Penn State notched 83 percent of its shots. The Panthers did outrebound the Lady Lions, 42-37, including 17 offensive boards.

Pittsburgh is back in action on Thursday as it travels to Cancun, Mexico, to partake in the Cancun Torneo de Basquetbol. The Panthers take on Mississippi State at 6 p.m. and conclude the tourney against North Carolina State at 3 p.m. on Saturday.