PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's basketball team took a lead into halftime at ACC-foe Pittsburgh but fell 69-60 on Tuesday afternoon in front of an electric crowd.

The Knights (0-4) started the game shooting well from deep, making nearly 40 percent of their attempts (9-of-23) in the first 20 minutes to carry a 38-37 lead into halftime. The Panthers (2-2) then outscored the Knights 19-12 in the third quarter, and despite a push by FDU to trim the margin down to four with four minutes left, the Panthers withstood the late charge to win the game.

"I'm very proud of the way our team competed today," head coach Angelika Szumilo said after the game. "I think we're definitely going in the right direction, and what I was most proud of is that I think we learned from the previous games. We never gave up, even when they went on a 10-0 run, I think we were able to stay afloat and stay in it, which in the past that might not have happened."

FDU had four players score in double digits in the contest, led by sophomore Rachael Niles who netted 14 points and connected on three three-pointers to go with a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. Freshman Maria Roters netted a career-high 13 points and shot 5-of-9 from the floor while grabbing five boards. Senior Elise Graham matched a career-high in points with 11, and sophomore Lindsey Mack also netted 11 points to go with three assists. The Burgundy and Blue dished out 12 assists on 23 made field goals and pulled down 33 rebounds.

"This should give them a lot of confidence," Szumilo continued. "Offensively, we're going to be fine. We have people that can put the ball in the basket, Lindsey with her ability to shoot and Madison can do a little bit of everything. Elise and Maria really stepped up today, I thought they played great. For us, it's not about scoring, it's about getting better defensively and continuing to get better on defense."

With the Knights leading 38-37 at the half, Pitt graduate senior Aysia Bugg, who led Pitt with 17 points, opened the third quarter with an and-one layup to give the Panthers the lead back. That layup was the start of a 9-0 run that Roters ended by converting a foul shot after drawing a foul, but Pitt then responded with four points before Graham nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to nine.

Niles then scored four of the contest's next six points to put FDU within seven. Junior Madison Stanley and Niles scored the final four points of the quarter as Pitt carried a 56-50 lead into the final frame.

Senior Courtney Blankenship netted the first points of the fourth off a dish from Roters to get within four points. After a Pitt made shot, Graham responded with a steal, went coast-to-coast, and connected on a layup. Over the next three minutes, each team ramped up the defensive pressure and there were a combined four points scored, including a Mack layup in what was a 60-56 contest.

Pitt answered with four straight points, which would have been six unanswered, but Blankenship drew a charge to help the Knights regain possession. Roters answered with a made layup to get back within six, but the Panthers responded with a bucket from junior Cara Judkins. Niles then connected on a jumper from the top of the key get FDU as close as six again, but Pitt scored the final three points to earn a 69-60 win. 

FDU opened the contest by scoring the first six points off consecutive three pointers from Mack and Stanley. Mack's three came off a nice dish from Niles and Stanley connected off a Blankenship feed. The Panthers would respond with the next 14 points led by four points from junior Gabbie Green.

The Knights punched right back with five straight points off a put-back layup from Roters and an and-one from Graham. After a Pitt bucket, Graham and Niles connected from downtown as the Burgundy and Blue took a 17-16 lead with 0:48 seconds left in the quarter. Niles hit another three as the first quarter ended to give the Knights a 20-19 edge after one.

Roters opened the second quarter with a three from the top of the key off a nice pass from Niles to extend the lead to four points. After a pair of baskets from Pitt, Roters responded with a layup of her own.

"Maria did not look like a freshman today, and I think she did a great job as soon as she stepped on the court of giving us good minutes on defense, and offensively she just stepped up," Szumilo said.

With the contest tied at 25, Stanley converted a layup off an offensive rebound to regain the lead, and she then found Mack who connected on another three-pointer. Bugg came right back with an and-one of her own in the fast-paced second quarter.

Stanley and Mack then went on a mini 5-0 run with a jumper and three to help the Knights take a seven-point edge with 3:40 left in the second quarter. After a Pitt made jumper from sophomore Jahsyni Knight, Roters continued her solid first half with a three-point swish from the top of the key. The Panthers ended the frame on a 7-0 run as FDU took its lead into the halftime break.

"When we put our mind into it and believe, we can be a pretty good team," Szumilo said. "It really was a four-point game with a few minutes left, and if we executed a little better on offense, maybe it's a two-point game with 30 seconds left and it's a different story."

The Knights will return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Binghamton at 1 p.m., at the Rothman Center. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at fduknights.com/tickets.