Suzie McConnell Serio made her debut as Pitt women’s basketball coach this morning and her top three players made sure it was a successful one as the Panthers beat Bucknell, 66-51, before a crowd of 4,698 at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt point guard Briana Kiesel, the Panthers only All-Conference player from a year ago, lead the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

But the Panthers also got big games from forward Asia Logan and guard Loliya Briggs, who each scored 15 points while Logan, like Kiesel, had a double-double as she grabbed 10 rebounds and the two combined for six steals.

Pitt grabbed a double-digit lead early and maintained it to the half as they led 39-26 and Bucknell never really was able to close that gap in the second half as the Panthers pushed the lead to as many as 22.

It was the first time in 55 games the Panthers (1-0) led a game from start to finish and the Panthers first win since Jan. 2nd when they beat Old Dominion.

One negative from the game – the Panthers were outrebounded 59-38 by the Bison (0-1) and that includes 24-8 on the offensive boards.

First Published: November 8, 2013, 7:09 p.m.