March Madness: Despite expectations, Pitt loses in first round of women’s Big East tournament

The Panther women entered their first-round game of the Big East tournament with both a… The Panther women entered their first-round game of the Big East tournament with both a positive attitude and a recent win over their Louisville opponent.

Less than one month before the tournament meeting between the Panthers and the Cardinals, Pitt secured a 72-69 victory over Louisville in a regular season home game last month.

Despite the Panthers’ desire to run the table in the conference tournament with the hope of gaining an NCAA Tournament berth, the 13th-seeded Cardinals upset the 12th-seeded Panthers, 79-71.

Pitt Head Coach Agnus Berenato noted her disappointment — and shock — in her team’s early exit from the Big East tournament.

“We really came here feeling like we could win this game and stay until tomorrow,” Berenato said. “I wasn’t prepared for it to be over. I wasn’t prepared to be knocked out of the tournament.”

The Cardinals’ Monique Reid, named the Most Improved Player in the Big East Conference, played a large role in the Panthers’ loss.

With a game-high 32 points, Reid led a Louisville offensive attack that the Panthers could not contain.

Part of the Panther’s ineffective defense resulted from foul trouble, which has plagued the team throughout the season.

Taneisha Harrison, Shayla Scott and Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson fouled out of the game whereas Chelsea Cole contributed four fouls to the team total.

Wilson, the Panthers’ sophomore center, acknowledged the difficulty of defense when fouls are an issue.

“In a close game like we had with a couple of people with four fouls, your first thought is not to foul,” Wilson said. “But at the same time, you don’t want to give up easy baskets.”

The Panthers were almost able to counteract their defensive struggle with offensive production as Cole, Jania Sims and Brittaney Thomas turned in double-digit scoring performances.

Thomas led the team with 21 points and Cole earned her sixth consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sims tallied 10 points in the contest.

However, a late 10-2 run by the Cardinals in the final four minutes of the game kept the Panthers from closing in on a victory.

In addition to the Louisville scoring surge, the Panthers suffered from an offensive drought in the closing minutes of the game, especially as their leading scorer struggled to find the net.

As the game came to a end, Thomas missed a key free throw as well as a three-point shot that might have helped to spark the Panthers to combat the Cardinal’s rush.

“[Missing shots] was really frustrating, especially the free throw,” Thomas said. “The three-point shot was really rushed, but the free throw, that was just, I don’t know.”

Thomas, under the instruction of Berenato, recently emerged as a leader for the Panthers in the final games of the season.

“Coach has been talking to me and giving me a lot of confidence,” Thomas said. “I feel like usually when I need to step up and score, I do.”

Berenato echoed this sentiment, as well as honored her two Big East Honorable Mention players, Cole and Sims.

“Thomas has really come on strong and has showed no fear,” Berenato said, “And we had two players on Big East Honorable Mention, which I am excited about. I am happy they performed well, but I’m extremely disappointed overall.”

The Panthers left the Big East tournament after the first-round loss while the Cardinals went on to fall to Notre Dame 89-52 in the next round of play.

The dominant Connecticut Huskies captured the tournament championship, by soundly defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers 60-32.

The Huskies won five out of the last six conference tournament titles and are currently riding a 72-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament.

Connecticut has been a force in the Big East in recent years, as they have also won the regular season conference title three years in a row.

The Huskies will find themselves in the top seed of the NCAA Tournament, but the once-hopeful Panthers will seek other opportunities for postseason play.

Berenato still wants her team to find success as they anticipate a Women’s National Invitation Tournament invitation.

With the Tournament selection announced on Monday night, Berenato hopes that the Panthers will earn a spot in the bracket and then “go back to the drawing board and take a few days to collect their thoughts.”