Game against St. John could be first win for women’s basketball

The Pitt women’s basketball team will look to end a seven-game losing skid and pick up its… The Pitt women’s basketball team will look to end a seven-game losing skid and pick up its first Big East win against St. John’s tonight.

The Panthers have dropped eight Big East games this season, and the schedule won’t get any easier for the youngest team in the nation.

“Every game you go out there [in the Big East], you know you’re playing against some really good players,” freshman point guard Brianna Kiesel said. “It’s going to help the team.”

Despite the team’s poor play thus far into the season, no one — including head coach Agnus Berenato — is looking for excuses.

“We knew we were going to have a young team,” she said. “These kids knew they were coming in as freshmen and they’re playing in the best league in the country. You have to keep working hard.”

St. John’s (13-8, 5-3 Big East) has a trio of high-scoring junior guards that will challenge the Panthers (8-13, 0-8 Big East). Eugeneia McPherson leads the team with 13.9 points per game, while Shenneika Smith and Nadirah McKenith also average double figures, with 12.5 and 11.6 points a game, respectively.

In order to prepare for such a guard-heavy attack, Pitt turned to its male practice players.

Berenato said Sunday’s practice featured all five practice players, the first time this has happened during her time at Pitt. The opposition provided a challenge for each of her players on the floor as they went against the scout team.

Following her team’s 71-56 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame, St. John’s head coach Kim Barnes Arico made it clear that her team won’t fall into to the trap of overlooking Pitt.

“You never want to get too comfortable, because in our league anything can happen on any given night,” she said in a post-game press conference.

Berenato said that in order for the team to avoid its eighth straight loss, Pitt has to do one thing: score.In their last game against Providence, the Panthers totaled just 50 points, as usual offensive threats Ashlee Anderson and Marquel Davis were held to just four and three points, respectively.

The Panthers average 59.8 points per game.

Succeeding offensively won’t get any easier against the Red Storm, who allow fewer points than Providence at 56.3 points per game.

Kiesel has shouldered much of the load during the team’s winless stretch, averaging team highs of 35.5 minutes per game and 12.9 points per game.

“She’s a freshmen, but you know what? She’s willing to lead and the others are willing to follow,” Berenato said.

Kiesel placed emphasis on the team’s need to pick it up offensively.

“We have to run our offenses to get to good shots, because sometimes you have the tendency to rush,” Kiesel said. “And so instead of getting into a set and running a play, we kind of just go one pass, one shot. I think we have to change that.”

Kiesel has a sense of what that change in mindset on that side of the ball might bring.

“We have to get people good looks to build their confidence so that we all have a good all-around game,” Kiesel said.

Kiesel said the team’s struggles have served as motivation, but at the same time, the player’s emotions took a hit during the losing streak.

“I don’t think anybody can act like they’re not down,” Berenato said. “We’re frustrated. It’s all we think about…”

Now at the midpoint of conference play, how the team manages those emotions will play a crucial role in whether the team is able to escape its last-place position.

The team’s defense has been abysmal, something Kiesel acknowledged, saying the team needs to improve. The Panthers give up a conference-worst 70.2 points per game.

“Everyone has to be accountable — from coaches to players,” Berenato said. ”We’re all accountable.”