PITTSBURGH -   The University of South Florida women's basketball team came to Pittsburgh on Saturday looking to snap its three-game losing streak and try to right the ship as it heads into its last six games of the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, they couldn't get back on the winning track as the Panthers handed the Bulls a heartbreaking 70-66 loss on Saturday in front of 2,247 fans at the Petersen Events Center.

Andrell Smith led the way for USF with 15 points and Akila McDonald added a career-high 15 points in the loss. Leondra Doomes-Stephens and Andrea Smith also scored 11 and 10 points respectively on the afternoon.

Pittsburgh (12-12, 4-7 BIG EAST) would jump out to its biggest lead of the half twice in the first 4:30 of the game when it led the Bulls by four points. The first came on a jumper by Taneisha Harrison with 16:15 on the clock making the score 8-4, and the second at the 15:25 mark of the first stanza giving the Panthers an 11-7 advantage on a Harrison three-pointer.

The Bulls (10-15, 1-10 BIG EAST) would come right back and take their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Andrell Smith, for three of her 10 first-half points, with just over 14 minutes left before the break making the score 14-13, USF.

The Bulls would push its lead to as many as seven points, 28-21, when Doomes-Stephens hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 4:20 left in the half.

USF, however would see that lead evaporate as the Pittsburgh went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 29-28, on a Chelsea Cole rebound put-back with 1:47 left before the break. The Bulls, however would regroup and take a 32-31 lead into the locker room at the half.

Although USF shot just 29 percent (9-31) from the field as opposed to Pittsburgh's 54.5 percent (12-22), the Bulls led on the glass outrebounding the Panthers 20-16 on the glass, including a 9-1 advantage on the offensive boards. Those nine offensive rebounds led to eight USF points in the first 20 minutes of play.

USF would come out in the second half looking to put the game away, scoring five of the first seven points of the second stanza.

The Bulls would go out to their biggest lead of the game, 11 points, 48-37, on a layup by Andrea Smith with 14:28 left in the contest.

The Panthers, however, would make their own run using a 17-4 run capped by a Jania Sims three-point play with 8:31 left to give Pittsburgh the lead back, 54-52.

After a three-point play by Andrell Smith and then a layup by Daleisha Carn with 6:56 left, USF would regain the lead by three, 57-54.

The Bulls, however, would not be able to hold on as the Panthers took the lead for good 60-59 with 3:04 left on back-to-back made free throws by Sims en route to the win.

Taneisha Harrison led all scorers with 27 points and Chelsea Cole added 12 points and 17 rebounds.

The Bulls finished the game shooting just 33.3 percent (22-66), to Pittsburgh's 57.1 percent (24-42). USF, however, won the battle on the glass outrebounding the Panthers, 36-32, including a 17-3 advantage on the offensive boards leading to 15 second chance points for the Bulls.

USF will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 16 when it butts heads with St. John's at 7 p.m. The game against the Red Storm will be Military Appreciation Night. The contest will be the first of a short two-game home stand that will end on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. when the Bulls take on Louisville for their annual Pink Zone game to raise awareness of breast cancer.