Point Park’s women’s basketball team defeated Midway 80-73 in Kentucky on Thursday, January 4. The Pioneers achieved their first away win against last season’s RSC West champs to kick off a four-game road trip.
Point Park concluded December having won every game and hoped to enter the new year with the same energy. All of the Pioneers’ losses this season were during away matchups, going 0-3 on the road. Entering the final quarter, it seemed as though they would face yet another loss against the 6-8 overall Midway Eagles.
By the end of the third quarter, Midway was ahead 66-58 after dominating a majority of the game. In the fourth quarter, Point Park rallied and secured their dub, allowing only seven points from Midway in the entire fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the Pioneers made up for lost time and tied up the game with five minutes remaining. Point Park managed to drop 22 points during the fourth quarter with a remarkable eight points stemming from Aichata Ballo.
Other outstanding performances came from Ari Bleda and Gillian Piccolino. Bleda was the top scorer and defender with 19 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Piccolino finished close behind with 18 points and went 8-8 from the free-throw line. Another notable performance from Emma Pavelek added to the successful outing, as she contributed12 points and six rebounds. The Pioneers combined for seven blocks.
The comeback win put Point Park at 10-3 overall and 3-1 in the RSC. The Pioneers’ next matchup against Indiana Southeast on January 6 marked their second game of four consecutive away games this month.
While on the road, women’s basketball pulled off their seventh straight win after a 77-71 victory over host Indiana Southeast on Saturday, January 6. Point Park marks the halfway point of their four consecutive away games with a huge success.
Point Park maintained steady control over Indiana Southeast after taking the lead in the middle of the first quarter. The Pioneers managed a 15 point lead in the third quarter, but the Grenadiers closed the gap in the final minutes of the contest.
Multiple players put up double digits including Gillian Piccolino with 18 points, Gabriella Legister with 16 points, Alexis Giles with 12 points, and Fatim Sarr Ndow with 12 points as well. Legister finished with an impressive 20 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive rebounds.
Piccolino had three steals, and Giles had two steals along with a block. The Pioneers went 32.4% from the three-point line and combined for 50 rebounds.
Point Park’s struggles throughout the game stemmed from the pressure of Indiana Southeast’s defense, and the Pioneers concluded the game with 17 total turnovers. The Grenadiers racked up a staggering 20 points off of turnovers.
The Pioneers’ defense held its own, forcing 13 turnovers by Indiana Southeast. Point Park had 13 points from turnovers and 11 second-chance points.
The win put the Pioneers second in the RSC East division at 4-1 behind undefeated Rio Grande and third in the entire conference. Point Park has 12 more games this season, all of which are conference matchups.
Point Park plays their third game of the road trip on Thursday, January 11 against the undefeated Oakland City in Indiana. The Pioneers return home for another crucial game on Saturday, January 20 versus Indiana East.
