HARTFORD, CONN. — Optimism surrounded the Pitt women’s basketball team as it headed into the first round of Big East tournament play. A matchup with the No. 10-seed Marquette Golden Eagles appeared to be somewhat favorable for the No. 15-seed Panthers.

Unfortunately for Pitt, that optimism did not translate into a victory.

After failing to capitalize on an opportunity to break their conference losing streak in the last bout with Marquette on Jan. 19, the Panthers suffered yet another defeat, falling to the Golden Eagles 66-43 on Friday evening in Hartford, Conn. The loss extends Pitt’s losing streak to 17 games, and the Panthers finish the season with a 9-21 record.

On a night the Panthers were dominated in the paint — outrebounded by 12 and outscored by 18 — the chance to upset Marquette vanished midway through the contest.

Only down 12 at the half and with a glimmer of hope still present, the Panthers squandered their final opportunity to win a Big East game this season, scoring just two points during the first eight minutes of play in the second half.

It only got worse from there as Pitt sophomore guard Brianna Kiesel and the rest of her teammates struggled from the field. The Panthers finished shooting 19-for-57 from the field and 2-for-13 from beyond the arc.

The lone bright spot for this Panthers squad may have been the play of sophomore forward Cora McManus, who converted all five of the shots she attempted and finished the game with 11 points.

“I am really proud of Cora. She did a great job,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said following the loss. “I thought she played really well. She commanded the post and did a nice job on defense, too. She commanded the ball and had a presence on the court, and she is just trying to get used to working with her body. She is trying to figure it out and find a way to succeed at this level.”

Marquette moves on to play No. 7 DePaul at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening in a conference quarterfinal matchup.

“I thought our players did a great job with consistent effort with beginning to end,” Golden Eagles coach Terri Mitchell said. “We’re thrilled to be able to move on — it’s March. You win, you advance and we’re excited to be playing on Saturday.”

The contest marked the final game in the Big East Conference for Pitt, and Coach Berenato was grateful for everything the Big East has done for Pitt over the years.

“It is a disappointing loss, and the saying goes that all things come to an end,” she said. “And it is a tough way to end our existence in the Big East. The Big East has been great to me and to the University of Pittsburgh as a whole. It is without a doubt that this conference has been the best women’s basketball conference in the country the last few years.”