THE BASICS:

• Score: Pittsburgh 56, Holy Cross 50
• Records: Pittsburgh (5-3); Holy Cross (2-6)
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Arena: Petersen Events Center (848)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored a team-high 14 points, but the Crusaders were defeated by Pittsburgh, 56-50, in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.

TURNING POINT:

• Holy Cross held the 47-43 lead with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter, but Pittsburgh closed the contest on a 13-3 rally to earn the 56-50 victory. The Panthers limited Holy Cross to 1-of-8 shooting over the final five minutes of the contest.

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• In addition to Mifsud for Holy Cross, sophomore guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) posted 13 points, four rebounds and a game-high four steals.
• Sophomore guard Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) recorded eight points and six rebounds, while junior forward Madelyn Ganser (Needham, Mass.) totaled six points and five caroms.

FIRST HALF:

• Holy Cross jumped out with a 6-5 lead at the 5:16-mark of the first quarter on a freshman center Miranda Nixon (Harrisburg, Pa.) layup. Pittsburgh, however, went on an 8-0 run over the next 3:27 to gain a 13-6 advantage. The Panthers held the seven-point lead after one quarter of play (15-8).
• In the second quarter, however, Holy Cross used a 13-0 surge to grab a 21-15 advantage (5:28). Sophomore guard Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa.) led Holy Cross with four points during the run, while Thomas-Waheed and Mifsud had three points apiece.
• The Panthers responded with a 5-0 spurt to tie the game at 21-21 (2:54), but a three-pointer by Thomas-Waheed on the next possession put Holy Cross up by three points (24-21). Pitt scored with one second left on the clock, but the Crusaders went into the locker room with the 24-23 advantage.

SECOND HALF:

• Mifsud began the third quarter with a three-pointer, which ignited an 11-4 run for Holy Cross to give the Crusaders a 35-27 lead (6:07). The Crusaders worked their lead to nine points (38-29) – their largest of the game – at the 4:55-mark of the third quarter on a Thomas-Waheed trey.
• The Panthers doubled up Holy Cross (6-3) over the final minutes of the third quarter, as the Crusaders held the 41-35 lead at the break.
• Pittsburgh began the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 43-43 with 7:02 on the clock. Ganser drained a layup and Thomas-Waheed hit two free throws to put Holy Cross back on top by four points (47-43), but the Panthers scored 11 straight to go ahead, 54-47, with 23 ticks on the clock.
• Mifsud hit a three-pointer with 14 seconds left in the fourth to make the score 54-40, but Pitt hit a pair of free throws on the other end to make the score its final, 56-50.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Pittsburgh shot 37.5 percent from the field (18-48), while it limited the Crusaders to 27.8 percent shooting (15-54). Holy Cross canned 6-of-22 from downtown (27.3%), while the Panthers only hit 2-of-15 from behind the arc (13.3%).
• Holy Cross struggled from the free-throw line, going 14-of-22 (63.6%), while Pittsburgh connected on 18-of-19 from the charity stripe (94.7%).
• Pittsburgh held the statistical advantage in total rebounds (41-32), assists (15-7), points in the paint (26-14) and fast-break points (14-2). The Crusaders forced 20 turnovers and held the 19-13 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Panthers were led offensively by Brenna Wise, who totaled 14 points and nine rebounds. In addition, Kalista Walters and Aysia Bugg scored 12 points apiece for the hosts.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 9, when it travels to UMass Lowell for a 7:00 p.m. contest.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

• To purchase single-game tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross women's basketball season, visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets or call the ticket office at 1-844-GOCROSS.

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