The Pitt-Bradford women's basketball team earned a much needed victory on Thursday, Feb. 6, as it defeated the D'Youville Spartans 59-40. The Panthers' Madison Krebs had an outstanding performance in the paint as the sophomore from New Columbia, Pa., finished her night with 11 points and 15 rebounds, capping the double-double.

Junior Alicia Kimmel led all scorers with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. Freshman Brittany Watts rounded out the top performers with 14 points and four rebounds.

Pitt-Bradford (12-8, 8-5) opened the game on a tear as the Panthers led 16-5 after just six minutes of play. The defense bowed its neck early and the Spartans had little to no response for the tenacious style of play shown by the home team.

Kimmel got the offense roaring, as she connected on her first five attempts from the floor. A short period of turnovers and missed opportunities at the rim put a stop on the scoring spree.

The Spartans found a rhythm offensively after nearly 10 minutes of play when Alexis Smith finished at the glass to give D'Youville its first points in over seven minutes. The Spartans began to chip away at the Panthers' lead, but the effort wasn't enough.

The two teams began trading buckets, allowing the Panthers to maintain their edge. As a result, Pitt-Bradford capped off a strong first half with a layup from Casey Stinger and headed to the locker room leading 30-19.

The Panthers shot 39.4 percent from the floor for the first half, including 33.3 percent from behind the arc. They were 3-of-7 from the line.

The Spartans finished the first twenty minutes shooting 21.3 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three-point land. They were 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

D'Youville (10-11, 8-6) never found the consistency on offense that it has played with throughout this season. 16 turnovers and a low shooting percentage plagued the Spartans from the opening tip.

Watts began her second half with a quick layup to extend the Panthers' lead. It was roughly three minutes into play before D'Youville found a way to get on the board in the second half.

Pitt-Bradford held its foot on the gas pedal for the entire contest. The Panthers had an 18-point advantage with six minutes to play and showed no signs of slowing down. A confused and discombobulated D'Youville defense began to tire and was forced to substitute nearly every minute.

The Panthers connected on several of their final attempts late in the game to seal the victory. Alex Vinelli hit a jumper just inside the arc to give Pitt-Bradford its final points.

"This was our best defensive performance as a team this year," said head coach Patrick Daniel. "I am extremely proud of the effort and focus my team had tonight. I am also very proud of Madison Krebs who played through a tough first half offensively. Her second half helped us pull away when we needed it most."

The Panthers finished the night shooting 36.9 percent from the floor and connected on just one triple. They were 10-of-17 from the charity stripe.  

D'Youville shot 22.4 percent from the field, including 21.1 percent from behind the arc. The Spartans were 10-of-12 from the line.

Pitt-Bradford travels to face La Roche, the number one team in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, on Saturday Feb. 8. The Panthers previously defeated the Redhawks 78-74 earlier this season. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Pittsburgh.