PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Meredith Venner scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Taryn Barbot added 25 points and four assists, and Pittsburgh pulled away from Saint Peter’s for an 81-52 women’s NCAA Division I victory Tuesday at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers improved to 1-0. The Peacocks dropped to 0-1. Attendance was 615.

Saint Peter’s scored 13 points in the first quarter, 12 in the second, 16 in the third and 11 in the fourth. Pittsburgh scored 23, 27, 15 and 16 by quarter. The Panthers led 23-13 after one quarter and 50-25 at halftime, then took a 65-41 advantage into the fourth.

Carys Roy opened the game with a layup for Saint Peter’s with 9:33 left in the first quarter. Venner answered with two free throws at 9:22 to tie the score. Sierra Patricio made a driving layup, but Maysen Hill hit a 3-pointer to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead. Venner then made a fast-break jumper and completed a three-point play, and she added a layup for a 10-4 Pittsburgh advantage. Carys Roy made a layup, but Taryn Barbot hit a pull-up jumper and Taylor Barbot made a driving layup. Ebere Egbirika scored a driving layup and later hit a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity to pull Saint Peter’s within 16-11 late in the first quarter. Pittsburgh led 23-13 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, Jami Hill made a pull-up jumper and Ande’a Cherisier made a layup. Ebere Egbirika answered with a layup and a free throw. Taryn Barbot hit a 3-pointer off a second chance, and Venner made a layup and a three-point play. Carys Roy made layups for Saint Peter’s, and Jada Mills hit a 3-pointer. Alancia Ramsey made free throws, and Taryn Barbot scored on a driving layup and two fast-break free throws. Nikola Zdenkova hit a 3-pointer for Saint Peter’s, but Macie Arzner made a pull-up jumper and Alancia Ramsey made two free throws. Sierra Patricio made a layup to close the first-half scoring.

In the third quarter, Carys Roy scored on layups, but Pittsburgh answered with a 3-pointer from Maysen Hill and consecutive baskets from Taryn Barbot and Venner. Taylor Barbot made free throws, and Alancia Ramsey added a layup and free throws. Saint Peter’s got a layup from Ineivi Plata and a jumper from Aniyah Neal, but Pittsburgh’s Venner continued to score inside, including a three-point play, and Taryn Barbot hit a 3-pointer. Pittsburgh led 65-41 after three quarters. In the fourth, Taryn Barbot made a floating jumper and a 3-pointer from turnover, while Taylor Barbot added a transition jumper and Maysen Hill made a free throw. Saint Peter’s got 3-pointers from Lamaria Estridge and Jada Mills, and layups from Carys Roy and Ebere Egbirika. Ande’a Cherisier scored twice inside for Pittsburgh, and Madison Crawford made two free throws. Taryn Barbot capped Pittsburgh’s scoring with a driving layup with 1:04 left, giving the Panthers their largest lead at 34 points. Bree Riley scored the final basket for Saint Peter’s on a pull-up jumper.

Saint Peter’s scored 52 points from 75 possessions, an offensive rating of 69.5. Pittsburgh scored 81 points from 74 possessions, an offensive rating of 109.7. The Peacocks shot 22 of 56 from the floor, 5 of 26 from 3-point range and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line. The Panthers shot 29 of 72 overall, 5 of 24 from beyond the arc and 18 of 27 at the line. Pittsburgh had a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds, a 20-4 advantage in assists and forced 25 turnovers while committing eight. Saint Peter’s blocked six shots to Pittsburgh’s four.

Venner, a 6-3 center from Miami, Florida, who previously attended Edison Academics, finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes. Taryn Barbot, a 5-10 guard who previously attended St. Mary, had 25 points, three rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes. Carys Roy, a 6-3 center who previously attended Cowbridge Comprehensive School, led Saint Peter’s with 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in 31 minutes. Ebere Egbirika, a 5-8 guard who previously attended City of London Academy, added nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Alancia Ramsey, a 6-0 forward who previously attended St. Thomas Aquinas, had six points, seven rebounds and one block in 24 minutes. Maysen Hill, a 5-11 guard who previously attended Saint Andrews School, had 11 points, five rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes. Taylor Barbot, a 5-9 guard who previously attended St. Mary, had six points, four rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes. Ande’a Cherisier, a 6-1 center who previously attended Saint Frances Academy, had six points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Jada Mills, a 5-9 guard who previously attended Putnam Science Academy, had six points, three rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes. Sierra Patricio, a 5-9 guard who previously attended Universal School-Domestic, had six points, four rebounds and one block in 34 minutes.

Saint Peter’s upcoming schedule includes games at Georgetown, at Miami (FL), against Lafayette, at Long Island, at Fairleigh Dickinson, against NJIT, at Rutgers, at Yale, against Wilmington (DE) and at Sacred Heart. Pittsburgh’s upcoming schedule includes games against Long Island, Delaware State, Charleston Southern, Maryland-Baltimore County, Canisius, against Harvard in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, against Sacred Heart, at Georgia Tech, against Mercyhurst and against Duquesne.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Pittsburgh 58, Saint Peter’s 53. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Pittsburgh with a 94.3 percent probability to win.