PITTSBURGH – The Pitt-Bradford women’s basketball team squandered an 11-point halftime lead Saturday and fell to La Roche 69-57 in AMCC action.
After scoring 36 first half points, the Panthers mustered just seven made field goals over the final 20 minutes while being outscored 44-21. La Roche shot a blistering 62 percent in the second half to erase the deficit.
Leading 29-25 late in the second quarter, Pitt-Bradford ripped off seven straight points to take its largest lead of the game, 36-25, into the break.
A 10-0 run midway through the third quarter helped La Roche retake the lead at 41-40. Pitt-Bradford’s Shirleah Ragin countered with a basket, and following a pair of missed shots by both teams, Mackenzie O’Donnell hit a jumper to push the Redhawks back ahead 43-42.
Sabrina McLin hit a three-pointer on the next La Roche possession, and her bucket in the closing seconds of the quarter gave the Redhawks a 48-43 cushion going into the final frame. The reigning AMCC champions quickly pushed their advantage to double-digits, scoring the first five points of the fourth quarter, and led by as much as 15 before the final horn sounded.
The Panthers were 7-29 from the field in the second half and connected for only one three-pointer after hitting five in the opening 20 minutes. Pitt-Bradford went 11 of 18 from the free throw line for the game and outrebounded the Redhawks by six, netting 15 second-chance points.
La Roche shot 50 percent from the field overall and outscored the Panthers 34-20 in the paint.
Ragin led Pitt-Bradford with a team-high 18 points, and Ali Rinfrette and Brittany Watts each contributed 14 points. Rinfrette pulled in seven boards and handed out six assists, and Ragin collected three steals.
Pitt-Bradford drops to 2-4 on the season and travels to Mansfield on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup.
