Women’s basketball: Panthers can’t complete comeback, fall to South Florida

The first half of Pitt’s Big East tournament game began like so many of the Panthers’ games… The first half of Pitt’s Big East tournament game began like so many of the Panthers’ games this season.

The Pitt women’s basketball team struggled on offense, while its opposition began to put the game away. But in the second half, madness ensued.

The Panthers shook off a poor start, erasing a 21-point deficit in the process, as they pushed South Florida (17-14, 8-8 Big East) to the brink before ultimately falling at the buzzer, 60-59.

With the loss, Pitt (8-22, 0-16 Big East) ended the year with 16-straight losses.

The season has taken a toll on Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato.

“It’s been a really rough season,” an emotional Berenato said before pausing to collect herself. “And I’m really proud of my team.”

At the beginning of the game, South Florida’s Inga Orekhova single-handedly destroyed the Panthers with her offensive prowess.

The few times that Pitt did answer on the offensive end, Orekhova immediately responded for the Bulls.

She made a jumper as time expired in the first half, bringing her total to 21 points. At that point, she had outscored the entire Pitt team. The Panthers trailed South Florida 39-20 at the break.

Leeza Burdgess’ foul trouble compounded Pitt’s problems. She picked up her third foul with 9:07 left in the half.

The young team appeared deflated and on its way to one final blowout.

But following the break,, Pitt exploded.

After the Bulls extended their lead to 21 points, Pitt went on a 19-2 run and suddenly the game was within reach at 45-39.

Burdgess played a key role in the team’s resurgence, scoring all 11 of her points in the second half while managing to keep out of foul trouble.


“We knew we were going to ride Leeza,” Berenato said. “She commanded the paint.”

Her presence inside often meant that she was double or triple teamed, and she was able to take advantage by passing out of the pressure. She finished with four assists.

Needing to counter, South Florida pushed the lead to nine. But the Bulls seemed to be wilting. Orekhova had vanished, managing just four points in the half.

“First half they basically left me open so I took the shots,” she said. “Second half they did the box and one so the girl was defending me real strong and I couldn’t get the ball.”

That girl was Abby Dowd. The Pitt sophomore, who didn’t score any points and played the entire second half, blanketed the Ukrainian.

Orekhova’s disappearance meant that the Bulls had no one to carry them. It was their turn to self-destruct and they nearly did.

South Florida connected on just 2-19 3-pointers in the second half and shot 20.6 percent from the field.

Head coach Jose Fernandez said he knew that couldn’t happen.

“That’s how leads evaporate, and that’s what it did it evaporated,” Fernandez said.

Point guard Brianna Kiesel seemed to sense USF’s vulnerability and went on the attack.

She made one layup and then made a baseline floater, getting fouled on the play.

Letting loose a joyous scream, Kiesel’s burst of emotion confirmed what both teams seemed to already know: Pitt wasn’t going to fold.

“This was the hardest we’ve ever fought,” she said.

Kiesel made the foul shot pulling the game to four, 52-48.

After tying the game 55-55, the two teams traded the lead back and forth.

With under a minute to go and South Florida behind 59-57, the Bulls’ Andrell Smith found herself alone on the baseline and coolly made the three.

Berenato said a missed rotation caused Smith to be wide open.

Down the stretch, Kiesel showed why she was unanimously named to the Big East All-Rookie team. While leading the team’s comeback, 15 of her team-high 24 points came in the second half.

Sophomore Marquel Davis gave Pitt a secondary offensive threat, scoring 13 points and, perhaps more importantly, running the point some in the later stages of the game. That allowed Kiesel, who played 39 minutes, to conserve her energy.

With the game clock winding down, there was really no question who would take the last shot: Kiesel.

She got the ball in the backcourt after South Florida’s Shaleth Stringfield missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Kiesel used a Burdgess pick to create space at the top of the key, dribbled to her left, cut toward the basket and rose up.

The shot looked good, and seemed destined to end Pitt’s misery and cap an improbable comeback, but it rimmed out and South Florida held on for the win.

Despite her team’s performance, Berenato didn’t take any comfort from moral victories.

“I know you’re supposed to look at the bright side, but I don’t see one right now,” she said.

Kiesel tried to sum it all up.

“I really thought we had this game. It’s a tough loss. It burns for everyone,” Kiesel said. ”Everyone felt this loss.”

Regardless, Berenato said she senses something unique about her young team.

“This is a special group,” Berenato said.