Women’s Basketball outlasts Pitt Bradford in AMCC home game

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University women's basketball secured a 75-65 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory over visiting Pitt Bradford at Donahue Pavilion Saturday.

The Celtics improved to 10-9 overall and 8-4 in conference play, while the Panthers fell to 3-15 and 2-10 in the AMCC.

Sydney Carr (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin HS) led Carlow with 28 points, nine assists and four steals. Nina Cano (Greenville, Pa./Greenville HS/Grove City College) added a double-double 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Emiley Hillgartner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin HS) contributed 13 points, four assists and three steals. Emma Aubrey (Bristol, Tenn./Sullivan East HS) shot 4 for 8 from beyond the arc to add 12 points, and Shaelyn Clark (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong HS) dished out six assists. Carr and Aubrey sank nine of Carlow's 11 three-pointers on the day.

Carlow scored 12 unanswered points to start the game before a foul sent the Panthers to the line. A trey from Aubrey put the Celtics up 10 with 1:30 remaining in the quarter. Pitt Bradford answered with one of its own in the next possession, and a jumper by Carr gave Carlow a 19-10 lead at the end of the first.

Carlow led by 11, and both teams suffered a three-minute scoring draught through the second quarter. Cano broke the stalemate with a layup, and a layup and three-pointer from Carr afforded Carlow an 18-point advantage for its largest lead of the game. The Panthers trailed by 15 at the half.

Carlow maintained a double figure lead in the third, and a technical foul put Carr at the line where she sank both shots. She landed another three-pointer seconds later to give Carlow a 16-point lead with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Although Pitt Bradford outscored Carlow 23-21, the Panthers trailed by 13 heading into the fourth.

An early trey from Paige Gratto cut Carlow's lead to 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics responded with back-to-back three pointers from Aubrey to lead, 62-46. Another three-pointer from Gratto saw Pitt Bradford down 10 with 4:31 remaining in regulation, but Carlow ran time off the clock and maintained its advantage the remainder of the game. Gratto tallied 18 of the Panthers' 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics scored 16 points off 14 Pitt Bradford turnovers, and both teams pulled down 46 rebounds apiece.

Gratto recorded a double-double with a game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds. Avery Benzel added a double-double of her own with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Amaria Mims contributed 10 rebounds in the effort.

Carlow hosts Penn State Altoona for a 7 p.m. AMCC game Feb. 12.