PITTSBURGH - The Point Park women's basketball team entered Saturday's game with momentum, having won three of its last four games and playing some of their best basketball of the season. The Pioneers also came into Saturday's game with a win over Concord, 76-71, back on Dec. 4.
 
However, this time the Mountain Lions emerged victorious after a fast start, defeating the Pioneers 80-67.
 
Concord established an early lead and maintained it throughout the game. A full-court press by the Mountain Lions resulted in six turnovers, and from the 8:23 mark to the 5:25 mark of the first quarter, Concord went on an 11-0 scoring run. The Mountain Lions led 26-12 after 10 minutes.
 
In the second quarter, Concord added to its lead by shooting 11-15 from the field (73.3%).
 
Concord went to the locker room with a 54-23 advantage.
 
The Pioneers aimed to make a comeback in the second half, similar to their performance against Glenville State on Wednesday night. Against GSU, Point Park erased a 19-point second half deficit to get the win.
 
On Saturday, Point Park started the third quarter on a 12-0 scoring run and outscored Concord 26-7 in the frame. In the quarter, Point Park also outrebounded Concord (21-8), forced four turnovers, and held the visitors to just 2-for-18 shooting (11.1%).
 
Ari Bleda scored 10 points in the third quarter and led the Pioneers with a season-high 17 points and eight field goals in the game.
 
Despite a surge in the third and early fourth quarter, Point Park fell short in the game as Concord closed out the 80-67 win. The Mountain Lions outscored Point Park 19-18 in the fourth.
 
After trailing by 31 at the half, Point Park cut the Concord advantage to as few as nine (67-58) at the 6:47 mark of the fourth.
 
Three players scored 14 or more points for Point Park. After Belda with 17 points, Camille Fultz and Alexis Giles each contributed 14 points. Giles had an impressive performance, shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range. It was her ninth game this season with a trio of 3-pointers.
 
Additionally, Aichata Ballo narrowly missed a double-double, leading the Pioneers with 13 rebounds and scoring nine points.
 
Abbie Smith, who ranks second in the MEC in scoring, led the Mountain Lions with 24 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Smith shot 11-of-19 from the floor. Skylar Davidson, the leading passer in the MEC, dished out 11 assists to go with 10 points and five steals.
 
Concord also received contributions off the bench, with Trina Lewis scoring a season-high 15 points. Concord scored 24 bench points in the victory.
 
Concord shot 46.3 percent (31-of-67) from the floor, its third-highest average of the season. Point Park managed just 37.7 (29-of-77) on the offensive end.
 
Point Park currently holds a record of 7-14 and is 5-10 in league play. The Pioneers will hit the road on Wednesday evening to take on West Virginia State. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Walker Convocation Center.
 
In Point Park's first matchup against West Virginia State, the Pioneers secured a 76-65 victory back on Jan. 11 at home.
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