Women’s Basketball: Panthers look to improve from exhibition game

After a close call in an exhibition game with Division II-opponent Seton Hill, the Pitt… After a close call in an exhibition game with Division II-opponent Seton Hill, the Pitt women’s basketball team will open its season against mid-major power Hampton on Saturday.

The Panthers used a late run to defeat Seton Hill 59-51 on Nov. 4 and will face a much tougher test against Hampton,who has won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference the past two years.

But before focusing on the Pirates, the Panthers have been working on their own struggles.

Sophomore forward Kyra Dunn said she could improve on her near double-double performance of nine points and seven rebounds against Seton Hill.

“I passed up a few shots,” she said. “They were good passes, but I’m looking to be more aggressive offensively and also to crash the boards and get at least 10 rebounds every game.”

Redshirt sophomore Abby Dowd acknowledged the role the team’s youth played in the scrimmage.

“It was pretty apparent that there were lots of nerves,” she said.

Dowd said the Panthers must improve on the glass, after they lost the rebounding battle against Seton Hill 46-39.

“We got out-rebounded, and that should never happen,” Dowd said. “Let alone against a team where their tallest girl is 6-foot, and we start people that height all the way across [the front court].”

Head coach Agnus Berenato agreed, adding that the primary focus of practice this week has been boxing out and rebounding.

Dowd stressed the importance of maintaining a high level of intensity the whole game. She also emphasized the need to improve her shooting after tallying two points against Seton Hill.

“I’m a shooter, and that’s what I’m known for. And I did not shoot well by any means [against Seton Hill],” she said. “It was frustrating, really frustrating.”

But Berenato said she isn’t worried about Dowd’s struggles. She said that Dowd, who she called “her best shooter,” has worked tirelessly all week.

“She was in the gym last night, she’s in the gym at 7:30 this morning, she’s here after practice shooting … Abby can shoot all day. She’s got the green light,” Berenato said.

The team has not made any major changes in strategy following its close call against Seton Hill, Berenato said.

“We’re trying to work on our defensive schemes a little bit more to try and clean things up,” she said.

Despite the team’s unexceptional performance, Berenato saw positives that she said will serve the team well over the course of the season.

“We were able to come out at the end … and we were able to pull it together the last four minutes and hold on for the win,” she said. “Last year, we didn’t do that. Last year, we lost games in the last four minutes.”

Berenato said the need for players to mature is imperative with such a young team. The Panthers’ roster features no juniors or seniors.

While Pitt struggles to find an identity as a young team, Hampton has a talented trio of seniors with the ability to wreak havoc on the offensive end.

Guard Jericka Jenkins averaged 13.4 points and 7.3 assists as an AP honorable mention All-American last season, while classmate Choicetta McMillian averaged 11.6 points and made 77 3-pointers.

Forward Melanie Warner averaged 9.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds last year.

To keep up with the Pirates’ scoring, the Panthers will have to shoot better, particularly from the 3-point line. Pitt went 0-10 from beyond the arc against Seton Hill.

Berenato said moving back the line this year affected the team’s shooting. She said the team often practices in the auxiliary gym, which still has a white line on the floor at the old distance.

The NCAA moved the women’s 3-point line this season to the same distance from the basket as the men’s line: 20 feet, 9 inches. The line used to be at 19 feet, 9 inches.

“We had no warning about [the change]. We weren’t even asked about it,” Berenato said. “It just happened. When you do something your whole life and then all of the sudden it changes, it’s a big [adjustment].”

Matchups against tough opposition like Hampton will help the young team grow up, Dunn said.

“It’s going to be a learning experience — just because we’re young, and we need the competition to build our experience for years to come,” she said.