Badgers Outlast Pitt; Advance to Championship Game
November 30, 2001 | Women's Basketball
20th-ranked Wisconsin improved to 4-1 on the season and earned a trip to the championship game of the Arizona Basketball Classic with a 92-75 victory over the University of Pittsburgh (2-3) this evening. The Badgers will meet the winner of the Arizona-Holy Cross game this coming Sunday, December 2 at 4:00 PM.
For the second consecutive game, Wisconsin piled up more than 50 points in the first half to effectively put the game out of reach. UW jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead with a strong inside game that befuddled the Panthers throughout the contest. The Badgers outrebounded Pitt 18-11 and scorched the nets at a 66% clip in the opening stanza. For the game, the Badgers enjoyed a 37-30 rebounding edge and outshot Pitt 56%-42%.
After UW's quick start, however, ball-handling troubles let the Panthers back into the game. Taking advantage of numerous Wisconsin turnovers, Pitt used a 17-4 run to surge to its only lead of the game, 17-15, at the 14:13 mark of the first half.
Wisconsin was up to the challenge and reclaimed the lead for good minutes later with a decisive 19-2 run that pushed its advantage to 34-19 with six minutes left to play in the half. The Badgers took advantage of their comfortable margin to substitute liberally while pushing the lead to 55-38 at the half.
Wisconsin's leading scorer, Jessie Stomski, picked up her fourth foul one minute into the second half, and the Badgers cooled off a bit, shooting only 47% from the floor in the final frame. More Badger turnovers opened the door to a Panther comeback, and Pitt closed to within 12 points, 77-65, with four minutes left in the game. The Panthers could get no closer, however, as Stomski returned to collect her third double-double of the season (and 27th of her career) with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
'Jessie really picked up her game tonight,' praised Wisconsin Head Coach Jane Albright. '19 points in 25 minutes is a great day at the office, and she also had a great game on defense.'
Tamara Moore contributed a game-high 21 points to go along with eight assists and five steals. Guard Kyle Black tied a career-high with five three-point baskets on six attempts en route to scoring 19 points. Center Emily Ashbaugh added ten points in only 19 minutes of action.
Guard Brooke Stewart led four Panthers in double figures with 16 points. Mandy Wittenmyer added 11 points, while Jackie Campbell came off of the bench to score ten points and grab a team-high five rebounds. Sheila Stuffler was the final Panther in double figures with 10 points.
