Women’s Basketball: Coach Berenato breaks Pitt all-time wins mark as Panthers trounce Mount St. Mary’s

Among the raised arms of the Pitt players, staff, band and cheerleaders, women’s basketball head coach Agnus Berenato stood at center court after a dominating 67-49 victory over her alma mater, Mount St. Mary’s.

The win was the Panthers’ seventh of the season, but the Petersen Events Center scoreboard displayed “159 Wins!” above the mass of lifted arms enveloping Coach Berenato.

Berenato’s 159th win as coach of the Panthers surpasses the all-time wins record previously held by Kirk Bruce, who coached the Pitt women’s basketball team from 1985 to 1998.

Nonetheless, Coach Berenato remained humble after her record-breaking night.

“I’m not really into records,” she said after the game. “I’m just proud to work at the University of Pittsburgh and represent the city of Pittsburgh.”

From the onset, the Panthers controlled the tempo of the game with stifling defense and sharp shooting. Pitt (7-4) claimed an 18-point lead with 10:34 remaining in the first half by forcing 11 turnovers and converting its first six shots against Mount St. Mary’s (4-5).

Junior forward Asia Logan found a rhythm early as she posted 14 points before the Mountaineers reached double digits as a team. Logan finished the contest with a game-high 26 points and shot 68.8 percent from the floor. She credited the successful evening to her teammates’ ability to spot the open shooter.

“Ashlee [Anderson] always told me that I better get her some assists, so that’s what I did for her. [Brittany Gordon] saw me open a lot too, so I just knocked down the shots,” Logan said.

Gordon, a freshman guard, dished out a career-high seven assists while committing only one turnover in her first ever start for the Panthers. Her performance drew praise from her head coach.

“I have to give a shout-out to our freshman, Brittany Gordon,” said Berenato, who was flanked by Logan and sophomore guard Brianna Kiesel both nodding in agreement. “[She] really did a great job as a freshman running the team.”

Not only did Gordon and the rest of the Panthers protect the ball on offense, but they also outrebounded their opponent by 12 – including a career-high 15 boards from center Chyna Golden, forced 21 Mountaineer turnovers and recorded 13 steals, all while keeping opposing guard Sydney Henderson in check.

The Mountaineers’ redshirt junior star entered Thursday’s game averaging 16.4 points per game, but Henderson was held to just four points on 2-of-7 shooting against a swarming Pitt defense.

Kiesel drew the assignment of guarding Henderson. Defensively, she stymied the talented guard and outscored her with 23 points.

Kiesel also sparked the Pitt offense — which had seen a double-digit lead dwindle to only 9 points after a first-half buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Mount St. Mary’s junior forward Jessie Kaufman — by drawing a foul on a layup less than two minutes into the second half. After a successful free throw, Kiesel contributed six more points and an assist on the next four Pitt offensive possessions.

The Panthers lost two straight games before earning Coach Berenato her 159th victory at Pitt, but Kiesel said she felt this win was the product of determination.

“We worked really, really hard,” Kiesel said. “We had two tough losses and the coaching staff really helped us to get back where we were. Getting Coach B this win is just joyful going into the holidays.”

Though Coach Berenato was persistent in praising the all-around production from the Panthers, she took a moment to reflect positively on the beginning of her tenure at Pitt in light of the coaching milestone.

“I appreciate that 10 years ago Chancellor [Mark] Nordenberg had the courage and blind faith in me to hire me,” she said. “It was a big move for me to move my family. I have five kids, and they were all little. I did it because I felt such an unbelievable warmth from the people, and it’s been a great experience for me.”

The Panthers will now hope to help Coach Berenato add to her win total, starting with a Dec. 29 matchup at 2 p.m. against Buffalo, the first of an upcoming three-game road trip for Pitt.