LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The Pitt State women's basketball team lost its first exhibition game of the 2015-16 season, 80-54, to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday (November 1) afternoon.

The first half was much closer than the final score showed, but the tough Kansas defense had an effect on the Pitt State shooting in the second half. Despite the loss, 12 Pitt State players got valuable playing experience in the game and nine scored.

Sophomore Mikaela Burgess and senior Kylie Gafford led the Gorilla scoring with 11 points a piece. Cathy Brugman added eight and Paige Lungwitz, seven. Burgess also led the Gorillas in rebounds with nine.

KU was led by Lauren Aldridge with 21 points, including 4-of-8 form three-point range. Caelynn Manning-Allen added 11 and secured a double-double with 11 rebounds.
Pitt State hung tight with the Jayhawks in the first half. The Jayhawks went a on an early 9-0 run in the middle of the first quarter, but Pitt State answered with the last four points of the quarter to trail by eight, 22-14.

The second quarter saw a surge from the Gorilla offense, as they outscored the home team 21-17 in the second 10 minutes to only trail by four, 39-35 at the half.
Eleven different Pitt State players saw court time in the first half, with eight scoring, including a team-leading nine-points by sophomore Mikaela Burgess.

KU's Lauren Aldridge hit back-to-back threes to start the second half, giving her team a 10-point lead, 45-35. That gave the Jayhawks momentum as they built to a 59-45 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Gorillas had some trouble shooting, as the shot only 22 percent (4-for-18) in the third quarter. The team's two seniors, Gafford and Brugman also went to the bench in foul trouble with four fouls a piece by the five minute mark in the third.

The shooting woes continued for the Gorillas in the fourth quarter, KU continued to build its lead.

Pitt State will continue exhibition play in just over a week with a Monday night (November 9) matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.