Women’s Basketball: Still winless in conference, Panthers travel to Rhode Island

After two consecutive Big East losses at the Petersen Events Center, junior guard Shayla Scott… After two consecutive Big East losses at the Petersen Events Center, junior guard Shayla Scott believed that a change of scenery might do the struggling Panthers some good.

“We just need to go on the road and get that win, and then things will start rolling for us,” Scott said following a 69-54 loss at the hands of West Virginia Jan. 17.

However, the Panthers (11-7, 0-5) will enter their second and final game of the road trip at Providence (12-6, 3-2) Saturday at 2 p.m. with no conference wins and a five-game losing streak.

Wednesday’s contest at South Florida did not provide the spark that Pitt had hoped for, as they fell 68-51 in a game dictated by the Bulls’ offensive accuracy and Pitt’s inability to gain any sense of momentum.

While the Panthers enter Saturday’s Providence matchup with feelings of desperation, the Friars are feeding off the stellar play of senior guard Chelsea Marandola.

Marandola, recently named to the Big East Honor Roll, leads the Friars in points per game averaging 18.1 points per game and has contributed double-digit scoring performances in each of her last 22 games.

The long-range game of Providence will also be a threat to the Panthers, as the Friars lead the Big East in 3-point shooting percentage at 35.4 percent. Two keys to the Panthers’ success against the Friars will be the abilities to minimize ball-handling errors and to distribute the scoring opportunities on offense.

After the loss to West Virginia, Pitt coach Agnus Berenato stressed the need to limit turnovers and aim to have multiple players contribute significant scoring figures. Pitt is No. 11 in the 16-team conference with a plus .17 turnover margin.

Despite outstanding individual efforts, such as redshirt junior Jania Sims’ 28-point performance in Pitt’s

first loss to West Virginia Jan. 5, the Panthers have struggled to engage the entire team in the offensive production.

The Panthers would have to look back to their Dec. 29 loss to Duquesne to find a game in which more than one player exceeded the 10-point mark.

As its recent 71-69 win against Syracuse shows, Providence is excelling in balanced scoring.

In a victory over the Orange on Tuesday, the Friars finished the game with three players contributing 49 of the team’s 71 points.

Marandola led the scoring with 19 points and was followed by fellow seniors Emily Cournoyer and Brittany Dorsey, with 18 and 12 points respectively.

Providence leads the all-time series against the Panthers 27-18. The most recent victory came last season when the Friars upset a then-No. 19 Pitt team at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.

Pitt and Providence appear to be approaching the middle point of Big East play from different angles, but the Panthers are focused on getting that first big win in a tough conference that leaves little margin for error.

“In Big East play, the teams are smarter, faster and stronger,” Sims said. “We just need to stay positive and learn from what we are doing in order to get better and get a win. Once we get that win, there will be no looking back.”