Women’s Basketball: Panthers win Caribbean Classic over break

Though it was close at some points, the Pitt women’s basketball team enjoyed more success over… Though it was close at some points, the Pitt women’s basketball team enjoyed more success over the winter break than the men did.

The women Panthers won three of four games over the holidays, improving their record to 8-6 and 0-1 Big East.

To start the break, head coach Agnus Berenato’s Panthers traveled to Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Classic regular-season tournament, where they faced Big Ten opposition in the form of Indiana and Michigan State.

Pitt 77, Indiana 72 — OT

The Panthers got their trip off to an energetic start with a back-and-forth overtime victory against the Hoosiers on Dec. 20.

The win was Berenato’s 150th at the helm of the Pitt women’s basketball program.

After jumping out to a 12-point first-half lead, the Panthers allowed Indiana to chip away at the deficit, and each team traded several buckets in the final minutes of regulation as the game was forced into overtime with the score level at 61-61.

Freshman guard Brianna Kiesel, who finished with a game-high 23 points, made the difference for Pitt.

She opened the scoring in overtime with a jump shot, and the Panthers never looked back. They picked up their sixth win of the season.

Four players scored in double figures as Pitt redshirt sophomore guard Ashlee Anderson scored 21 points, redshirt sophomore forward Leeza Burdgess recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and sophomore forward Kyra Dunn added 10 points.

Pitt 64, Michigan State 54

The next day, the trip got even better for Pitt after a slow start.

With the Spartans up by as many as 14 in the first half, the Panthers used a 13-0 run to start the second half to turn the tables on Michigan State.

And Berenato’s team was able to hold onto the lead this time as Pitt clinched the Caribbean Classic title after its most impressive performance of the season.

“This is a huge, huge win,” coach Berenato said in a news release on Pitt’s website. “The team really pushed through and showed tremendous perseverance, coming back from a double-digit deficit. It was awesome for this young team to win the Caribbean Classic.”

Pitt is the youngest team in Division I with a roster comprised of six freshmen and six sophomores.

Kiesel once again led the Panthers in scoring with 16 points, including 14 in the second half. Sophomore guards Marquel Davis and Asia Logan also helped the cause with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Duquesne 70, Pitt 57

Entering the women’s version of the Pittsburgh City Game rivalry on the back of a three-game winning streak and as newly crowned Caribbean Classic champions, the young Panthers suffered a letdown at home against the Dukes on Dec. 28.

After a tight start, Duquesne used a 13-1 run just before halftime to open up a double-digit advantage that it never lost.

“They came out and capitalized on the mistakes that we made, setting the tone for the game,” Berenato said in a postgame press conference. “Obviously I’m disappointed, especially since this is the big city game.”

Although it was the Dukes’ third straight victory over Pitt, Ashlee Anderson posted a game-high 16 points in the defeat. Kiesel and Logan added another 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Anderson said she believed the sloppy first half cost her team.

“We need to put emphasis back on coming out with intensity,” she said after the game. “We came out a little lax, and that was not how we prepared for our games in Cancun. So we’re going to focus on that.”

Pitt 74, Lafayette 69 — OT

Despite yet another slow start on New Year’s Eve at the Petersen Events Center, the Panthers rallied from an 11-point deficit with just four minutes to play to force overtime and eventually defeat the Leopards.

Kiesel, who led Pitt with 16 points, was the Panthers’ spark once again. Her 3-pointer with about four minutes left began her team’s closing 16-5 run that forced overtime.

Sophomore guard Abby Dowd then scored five quick points in overtime, including an opening 3-pointer, which gave Pitt the lead needed to capture the victory.

“It was a great win for our program,” Berenato said after the game. “We were down 15, and in those circumstances there can be a tendency to totally fall away, but the team hung in there.”

Burdgess and Davis each scored 14 points to help Pitt pick up their second overtime victory of the season. Burdgess said the game taught her to be more physical and aggressive offensively.

“It took me until the second half to try and start doing something,” she said. “I learned I can’t wait that long, because my team needs me.”

Pitt 62, Villanova 70

Pitt climbed within two points of Villanova late in the game on Tuesday, but the Wildcats sealed the final score at the free-throw line to end the night with a 70-62 victory.

The Panthers fell behind to finish 32-20 at the half, but fought back after the break.

Pitt was able to trim the Villanova advantage to single digits on several occassions, including coming within four points of the Wildcats, 49-45, with 7:21 left in the game. But each time, Villanova had an answer.

After Pitt got within four, Megan Pearson hit a 3-pointer to boost the Wildcat’s lead back to seven. Two free throws and a layup made the Villanova advantage 11 points, 56-45, with 5:39 remaining in the game.

Villanova’s Laura Sweeney made the score 58-47 with 4:26 left in the game. Then Pitt used a 9-0 run to pull with two points, 58-56, with 2:05 left on the clock.

But Rachel Roberts responded on Villanova’s next possesion with a 3-pointer, and Sweeney made a layup to give the Wildcats a 65-56 cushion with 40 seconds remaining. The Wildcats went 5-6 at the line down the stretch to seal the victory.

Brianna Kiesel led the Panthers with with 26 points. Marquel Davis and Asia Logan also scored in double figures, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Logan also grabbed seven rebounds.

Four Wildcats scored in double figures. Lauren Burford led the team with 19 points. Devon Kane added 17 points, while Pearson and Sweeney each added ten points.