Women pick up big victories over Thanksgiving break
Burns shows up big in late-game offense against Washington Adventist
December 4, 2019
Freshman guard Sierra Seneta dribbles around a defender at CCAC-Allegheny.
While the rest of the students on Point Park’s campus were home for Thanksgiving break, the women’s basketball team was traveling around the area for three non-conference matchups.
The first of their three wins came on Nov. 20 at Washington Adventist University thanks to sophomore guard Michelle Burns.
Burns led all scorers with 25 points in the game but went into the final push of the game with just 21 points and the Pioneers down 66-63.
She drove the ball down the court and sank a game-tying 3-pointer with just six seconds left to tie the game at 66.
The Shock then called a time out that they did not have, resulting in a technical foul and sending Burns to the free throw line to score the eventual game-winning point and giving Point Park the victory, 67-66.
The Pioneers had two other players in double digits: Baylie Mook with 13 points and Ariana Sanders with 11. Junior Carly Lutz and freshman Taylor Rinn each grabbed ten rebounds, assisting the offensive effort.
Another freshman guard, Taylor Kirschner, attempts to drive the ball to the hoop in a game host- ing Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo last week.
Four days after the battle against Washington Adventist, Point Park found itself on the good side of a blowout against Penn State-York (PSU-York).
The Pioneers asserted their dominance early on, taking a 28-6 lead after the first ten minutes and a 57-23 lead by the half.
Freshman guard Taylor Kirschner scored 17 of her team-leading 19 points in the first twenty minutes. Sanders sank 12 of her 14 in the first half as well.
Point Park shot 48% overall and out-rebounded PSU-York 36-25 to give them their second-straight victory of the break, 94-58.
To round out the three games of Thanksgiving break, Point Park traveled to Bryant & Stratton-Rochester.
In what was another back-and-forth battle for the Pioneers, Burns and Kirschner led the offense to a 78-72 victory to complete the trifecta of Point Park women’s basketball over the break.
The Pioneers open River States Conference play this weekend, traveling across the city to Carlow University on Saturday before a rematch of non-conference Washington Adventist, but this time on Point Park’s home turf at CCAC-Allegheny.
