Women’s Basketball: Coach Berenato unhappy with Pitt performance against Rider

The Pitt women’s basketball team lost for just the second time this season at the Petersen Events Center on Sunday, falling after a dominant second-half performance by Rider.

Pitt (6-4) jumped out to a 9-2 lead against the Broncs (5-4), connecting on 4-of-8 shots in the first five minutes of the game. While the Panthers squandered the early lead with poor shooting and costly turnovers, their opponents caught fire toward the end of the half.

The 65-48 loss marked Pitt’s second failed attempt to earn head coach Agnus Berenato her record-breaking 159 th victory as the leader of Pitt women’s basketball. This chance came against the school Coach Berenato began her coaching career with in 1981, but the result was lackluster in her eyes.

“Today was a really disappointing loss for us,” Berenato said after the game. “We came out [playing strongly] in the first couple of possessions, but then we went stagnant. Once we went stagnant, we missed a shot and it became contagious.”

After falling behind early, the Broncs outscored the Panthers by nine in the remaining 15 minutes of the first half, but the Panthers trailed by just two at the break by limiting Rider’s best player, Caitlin Bopp. The Broncs’ senior center played only five minutes in the half after recording two fouls in the game’s first two minutes. Her absence allowed the Panthers to out-rebound Rider in the first half.

But Bopp logged 16 second-half minutes and finished with seven points and 13 rebounds on the day. Rider, boosted by Bopp’s increased time on the court, dominated the second half by shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, out-rebounding its opponent and outscoring Pitt by 12 in the paint.

Rider senior guard Sironda Chambers, whose 3-of-4 successful shots in the second half were indicative of the team’s efficient play, led all scorers with 20 points.

The Broncs’ bench added 21 points – paced by eight from senior guard Dior Brown – while Pitt recorded only five points from its substitutes.

Sophomore guard Brianna Kiesel led the Panthers with 17 points, and Asia Logan scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Sunday marked the junior forward’s second consecutive game with a double-double.

The Panthers shot the ball better and recorded fewer turnovers after a poor first half, but the Rider offensive output proved to be insurmountable.

Taylor Wentzel, a Rider freshman guard and Pittsburgh native, drove to the basket and banked in a layup amidst heavy contact with 9:58 remaining in the contest. The layup started a 13-4 run for the Broncs that resulted in a 54-43 lead, all but sealing their fifth victory of the season.

“It was the shot that broke the camel’s back,” said Berenato, whose Panther team has now dropped three of its last four games.

Pitt will have the opportunity to shake its rough stretch of play and help Coach Berenato finally break the school wins record against Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.

Kiesel said she is looking forward to bouncing back from Sunday’s loss with a strong showing against the Mountaineers.

“I’m going to take this loss, and I’m going to look at it, watch film and see what we can do differently and go into [the game against] Mount St. Mary’s ready to win,” she said.