The women’s basketball team dominated WVU Tech in West Virginia last Saturday, February 3. The Pioneers earned their ninth conference win with a 89-55 final score – their highest point differential in a game since November.
The win put Point Park second in the River States Conference (RSC) East division at 9-3. WVU Tech only has one conference win, putting them in last place of the division.
The Pioneers took early control of the game with 20 points in the first ten minutes. Emma Pavalek put up five of those to conclude the first quarter 20-12.
Point Park continued this lead into the second quarter. Gillian Piccolino had an electric quarter with nine points, and Gabriella Legister followed close behind with eight points and eight rebounds. The Pioneers allowed only ten total points from the Golden Bears in the second for a 44-22 lead at the half.
The Pioneers held their ground in the second half, going 60% from the field in the third quarter. They closed the quarter at 67-36.
Aichata Ballo and Isabella Pelaia sealed the win, dropping eight points each and combining to go 78% from the field in the fourth quarter. Ballo racked up 14 points in the second half.
Point Park held the Golden Bears to a 31.7% field-goal percentage, while the Pioneers pulled ahead by going 50% from the field.
Five total players scored in the double digits, with Piccolino, Alexis Giles and Pavalek contributing 11 points. Legister finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, while Ballo held the game high at 18 points. This was Ballo’s highest scoring game since she transferred to Point Park.
Coach Scarborough shared how he believes that the team’s biggest weapon is their depth. Their bench players such as Fatim Sarr Ndow, Ballo and Pelaia repeatedly contribute numbers in each game.
Ndow finished with nine points and Pelaia had eight. Coral Homs had a notable game on defense with three steals as well.
“Anyone can go off at any moment, multiple players,” Coach Scarborough said. “That’s what I really like about this group this year.”
Point Park closed the game with 17 turnovers, which is a recurring issue for the team. They average 16.7 turnovers per game in conference play.
Coach Scarborough aims to make up for their offensive struggles by intensifying their defense.
“I think the big thing is we just want to be more consistent,” Coach Scarborough said. “You know, we can score a lot of points quickly on offense based on our defense. But nights when we’re maybe not getting those breakaway layups or knocking down those open shots, we have to defend.”
The Pioneers return to Pittsburgh for one of their final home games of the season. The team still has a 12-0 record at home.
“It’s a good buzz just around campus and downtown,” Coach Scarborough said. “Obviously, the men are doing great and we’re happy that we can kind of be a part of that success here at Point Park, and give fans that come to both of our doubleheaders something to stick around for.”
The Pioneers go on to play the undefeated Rio Grande on Tuesday, February 6. The RedStorm are first in the RSC.
“It’s been exciting, but we have a lot of tough games left,” Scarborough said.
After the Rio Grande matchup, the Pioneers go back on the road to face Shawnee State and Alice Lloyd. Both teams are in the RSC East and are fighting for a spot in the postseason.
