PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Lafayette women's basketball took down ACC foe Pittsburgh (76-59) on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center. The Maroon and White's fourth-straight victory was their first over an ACC foe since 2013 (Pittsburgh, 48-45). Head coach Kia Damon-Olson's squad held the Panthers to just five points in the final quarter.

The hosts were in control to start the contest, notching an 11-8 lead after Angel Jones drained a jumper. Lafayette quickly made it a tie game (13-13) courtesy of points by sophomore guard Talia Zurinskas (5). The Allentown, Pa. native finished with 18 points, a career-high seven assists, two rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes. Both teams battled down the stretch, but a basket from the Panthers with 20 seconds to go handed them a 21-19 lead at the end of the first period.

The Leopards outscored Pittsburgh 25-18 in the second quarter, led by eight points from freshman guard Haylie Adamski. The Media, Pa. native tallied 19 points, three rebounds and two steals in the win. The hosts had a commanding 10-point lead (29-19) with 8:17 to go in the half, but then Lafayette began to shoot the lights out. The Leopards put together a 15-8 run that reduced their deficit to three points (39-36) with 3:01 remaining. Lafayette concluded the period with an 8-0 spurt and led the hosts 44-39 at the intermission.

Adamski handed the Maroon and White an 11-point lead (50-39) to start the half, after converting her layup under duress and completing the three-point play at the charity stripe. The Panthers battled back to a two-point deficit (54-52), but junior guard Teresa Kiewiet drained a clutch pull-up jumper the next possession to keep Pittsburgh at bay. The Engineering major had her best game so far this season, racking up 19 points and eight rebounds on 8-for-17 shooting from the field.

Freshmen Haley Poser (3) and Maddison Krug (2) tacked on points in the final two minutes and Lafayette led 61-54 with 10 minutes to play.

Damon-Olson's group held the hosts to just five points in the final stanza to grab its fourth-consecutive victory. Tuesday's win tied the all-time series between the Panthers, now each possessing three victories.

The keys to Lafayette's statement win were three-point shooting and turnovers. The Leopards shot a scorching hot 44.4 percent (12-27) from downtown, compared to the Panthers' seven makes on 19 attempts. The visitors turned the ball over a season-low eight times, while forcing 15 mistakes from the hosts.

The Leopards now gear up for a trip to NJIT at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 

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