Coming off of a tough loss to No. 19 Syracuse, Pitt women’s basketball (8-22, 2-15 ACC) looked to bounce back in their last away game of the season against Miami (18-10, 8-9 ACC) as the ACC tournament draws closer. Despite a comeback try in the third quarter, the Panthers were unable to turn the game around and fell to the Hurricanes 62-44.
The Hurricanes started fast, winning the tip and cashing in on two easy buckets by junior guard Shayeann Day-Wilson and junior forward Latasha Lattimore.
Miami came out strong defensively, putting heavy pressure on the Panthers’ guards with a 1-3-1 zone defense immediately when sophomore guard Marley Washenitz crossed halfcourt. The Hurricanes strategically placed 6-foot-4 Lattimore at the top of the 1-3-1, utilizing her length and resulting in multiple Panther turnovers.
Despite the defensive pressure, the Panthers kept it close as the first quarter ended with the Hurricanes up 12-10. Senior forward Liatu King tallied six out of the Panthers’ 10 points as they tried to feed her the ball in the post.
The Hurricanes came out fast in the second quarter, going on a 6-0 run. Panthers’ head coach Tony Verdi called a quick timeout, after only one minute of play.
Miami’s defense did not let up after the timeout. They came out in a full-court man-to-man press defense, extending their lead to 11.
Junior guard Lashae Dwyer came alive for Miami in the second quarter, scoring a fast break layup and putting up two quick threes to help extend the Hurricanes’ lead. Lattimore was also a key player, pulling in five rebounds for Miami.
The Panthers struggled with Miami’s defense as the Hurricanes outscored them 18-5 in the second quarter and held the Panthers to a season-low 15 points at the half. Miami successfully shut down King, leaving her 2-for-9 on shots with only six points entering the half.
King came out strong for the Panthers after the half, tallying a quick six points to double her numbers from the first half. But Pitt couldn’t stop the Hurricanes’ momentum as Miami led 39-24 going into the first game break of the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Raeven Boswell entered the game for the Panthers, putting up four much-needed points. The Panthers exploded with momentum, going on a 10-4 run, resulting in Miami timeout.
Pitt ended the third quarter trailing 43-36. Junior forward Rapuluchi Ayodele proved instrumental for the Panthers on the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds at the end of the third quarter. King also came alive, scoring 12 and tripling her first-half numbers.
Dwyer answered early in the fourth for Miami, draining a quick three for the Hurricanes. The Panthers responded with an easy layup for senior forward Gabby Hutcherson but were unable to keep up the energy on defense. Miami went on a 5-0 run putting them up 51-38 as the Panthers called their first timeout of the quarter.
Junior guard Bella Perkins sank a three to put the Panthers down 10 with 6:50 left in the fourth, but Miami immediately responded with a floater and a pair of free throws.
The Panthers ultimately couldn’t capitalize on their third-quarter momentum. The Hurricanes outscored Pitt in the fourth quarter 19-8 and dominated Pitt with their defense.
The Panthers failed to perform on all levels, but three main factors contributed to their inability to overtake the Hurricanes. The Panthers ended the game with 22 turnovers, many of which were from trying to feed the ball into King in the post. Pitt also struggled with finding other key players in the first half when King couldn’t score. Lastly, the Panthers struggled against Miami’s tough defense and failed to apply the necessary corrections to beat the Hurricanes’ tricky 1-3-1.
The Panthers return home this Sunday at 12 p.m. as they take on Boston College for their last game of the regular season