Women’s Basketball: Panthers comeback bid falls short at last second

For 39 minutes, the Pitt women’s basketball team fed the ball down low to Shawnice… For 39 minutes, the Pitt women’s basketball team fed the ball down low to Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson, but in the end the Panthers needed a three.

And they couldn’t hit it.

Georgetown’s Jaleesa Butler scored the eventual game-winning basket with 37 seconds to play, and the No. 16 Hoyas handed Pitt its fourth straight loss, 66-63.

Jania Sims missed a last second 3-point attempt, dropping the Panthers to 1-9 in the Big East and 12-11 overall. Sims finished with 11 points.

“We played well enough to win and we didn’t,” Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said. “We had the opportunity at the end of the game…and we couldn’t get a stop.”

A 14-0 Hoyas run put Pitt down 19-7 early, and Berenato said that’s when Pitt lost the game.

“In the first nine minutes, we had 10 turnovers,” she said. “When we settled down, and we played and we attacked, it was an even game.”

After the sluggish start, the Panthers relied on Wilson’s baskets beneath the rim to close the gap to as little as four. Pitt had 20 points in the paint in the first half.

Wilson finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds.

“Their biggest starter was listed as [6-foot-2],” Wilson said. “My size was a huge advantage.”

Pitt rebounded well despite the loss, out-rebounding the Hoyas 36-35. Wilson alone pulled down five offensive boards in the contest.

Pitt, though, shot poorly beyond the arc, going 0-for-4 on 3-point attempts in the first half. Guard Taneisha Harrison finished with seven points, while Shayla Scott went 2-for-13 from the floor for the game.

“At halftime, our starting guards had two, three and two [points],” Berenato said. “I guess I should be saying, ‘I’m glad it was a close game.’”

Georgetown (20-3, 9-1 Big East), meanwhile, had little problem sinking its shots from deep in the opening half. The Hoyas knocked down seven 3-pointers, including three from Monica McNutt, and led 41-34 at the half.

“We didn’t do a good job on [McNutt],” Berenato said. “The threes she hit in the first half—they were open threes. We were furious.”

McNutt finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, giving Georgetown its 19th win in 20 games.

Pitt came out firing to start the second half, starting on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 41. The Hoyas did not score for the first 2:25 of the half, and a 3-pointer from Taneisha Harrison—Pitt’s first 3-pointer of the game—put the Panthers up 46-45.

The Panthers took the game down to the wire before Butler hit a last-minute shot to break a 63-63 tie. Butler finished with 16 points.

“[Butler] did a really great job,” Berenato said. “That’s the difference in the ballgame—to have people score in crunch time.”

Butler stepped up in place of Ta’Shauna “Sugar” Rodgers, who Pitt held to two points. The freshman guard averages 19 points per game, and her prior low on the season was 11.

“She is their inspirational leader,” Berenato said. “She is their motivator. She is their leading scorer. She does everything for them. I thought we did a fabulous job of taking her out of the ballgame.”

As snow continued to wreak havoc in Oakland, few fans battled poor road conditions to attend the game. Announced attendance was 511.

Pitt’s next game, though, is Sunday evening’s annual Pink the Pete event.

“[Pink the Pete] is going to be a fabulous event,” Berenato said. “If there’s not another snowstorm.”