Dec. 30, 2005

Box Score

PITTSBURGH - Four Pitt players scored in double figures as the Panthers' women's basketball team won its fifth straight game, a 68-55 decision over visiting St. Bonaventure at the Petersen Events Center on Friday afternoon.

The Panthers earned their 10th win before the turn of the calendar year for the first time in the 32-year history of the program by defeating the Bonnies (6-5). Sophomore center Marcedes Walker (Philadelphia, Pa./University City) led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and added eight rebounds and a career-high-tying four blocks.

The Bonnies led by one point on three occasions in the first half, the last coming with 4:52 remaining on a free throw by Ashley Edwards to give St. Bonaventure a 25-24 advantage. Two free throws by Xenia Stewart (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) and a lay-up by freshman Sylvie Tafen (Yaounde, Cameroon/Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy [WV]) put the Panthers up three, igniting a 13-4 run to close the half for Pitt.

Tafen had eight points and seven rebounds at the break, already eclipsing her season high in both categories, and finished with her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The second half began as the first ended with Pitt making key baskets and forcing the Bonnies into bad shots. The Panthers scored 15 of the first 19 second-half points to complete a 28-8 run and build a 19-point lead.

St. Bonaventure was able to close the gap to 11 points on two occasions down the stretch but the Panthers' defense kept the Bonnies shooting from long distance. For the game, St. Bonaventure made just 5 of its Petersen Events Center-record 28 three-point attempts.

Stewart made six of her 11 shots and added four free throws for 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two of the Panthers' season-best nine blocks. Junior guard Mallorie Winn (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's/Georgia Tech) was also in double figures with 13 points, a career-high-tying seven rebounds, four assists and a block. Senior Cheron Taylor (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) also had a solid game in the post with seven points, three steals and eight of Pitt's 52 rebounds.

The Panthers will travel to No. 13 DePaul (13-1, 0-1 Big East) for their first game of 2006 on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live on CSTV.

NOTES: The Panthers finished their non-conference schedule with a 9-2 record, matching the team's best mark in 1999-2000...Pitt held the Bonnies to just 28.6 percent from the field and 17.9 percent from three-point territory...Pitt's five wins at the Petersen Events Center this season match the combined win total at home for the prior two seasons.