PITTSBURGH -Iasia Hemingway's career-high 33 points and a strong second half defensive effort led Syracuse women’s basketball (12-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) to a 83-60 conference victory at Pittsburgh’s (8-8, 0-3) Peterson Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Orange held Pitt without a field goal for the first 7:18 of the second half to turn an eight-point halftime lead into a 19-point advantage, 57-38, with 13:25 to go. Hemingway scored the final nine points in the 14-4 run.
The Panthers could not solve SU’s 2-3 zone. The Orange held Pitt to 29.2 percent shooting in the second half and 35.8 percent for the game, and scored 23 points off 23 turnovers. The Orange limited Panthers leading scorer and Utica Proctor alum Brianna Kiesel to seven points and 2-of-10 shooting.
At the offensive end, the Orange set the PEC facility record for free throws made (34) and attempted (38), led by Hemingway’s building-record 15 makes on 16 attempts. SU shot 40 percent from the field, including 5-of-16 from 3-point range.
Ashlee Anderson led the Panthers with 14 points and nine rebounds.
After Pitt went on a 17-5 run between the 11:34 and 5:32 marks of the first half to take a 27-25 lead, the Orange responded by outscoring the Panthers, 16-7, over the duration of the half to take a 41-34 lead into halftime. Tyson-Thomas hit a pair of 3-pointers and Taft added another in the final 3:34 fuel the SU run. Hemingway carried the Orange up to that point, leading all scorers with 15 first-half points.
The Orange returns to the Carrier Dome to host St. John’s in BIG EAST action on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: SU Athletics
