Women’s basketball: Penn State ends Pitt’s undefeated streak

The No. 15 Pitt women’s basketball team suffered its first loss at the hands of cross-state… The No. 15 Pitt women’s basketball team suffered its first loss at the hands of cross-state rival Penn State 77-73 Saturday.

Despite 17 points from Shayla Scott and 15 points from both Sophronia Sallard and Jania Sims, the Panthers were unable to hold on to their three-point halftime lead to secure a victory.

The Nittany Lions out-rebounded the Panthers 46-44, and Penn State held a 25-17 advantage in offensive rebounds, a statistic that Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said sealed the Panthers’ loss.

“I think the biggest weakness that we had definitely was, without a doubt, rebounding on the defensive side,” Berenato said. “For them to go ahead and get 25 offensive rebounds, to me, that was the ball game.”

Entering the game, the Panthers out-rebounded opponents by eight per game, including a slim 1.2 margin on the offensive boards.

Besides their inefficiency on the defensive glass, the Panthers also didn’t reach their goal of not accumulating a large number of fouls, Berenato said.

“We gave up 28 free throws and they shoot 75 percent,” Berenato said. “That’s just tough. Two of our goals were not to foul and to rebound. Our goals were not accomplished and, therefore, Penn State came out on top.”

Penn State’s senior guard Tyra Grant led all scorers 27 points, while shooting 10-24 from the field, 2-8 from beyond the arc and 5-5 from the foul line.

But most importantly, Grant offered the Nittany Lions leadership in a game that remained close throughout.

Last season, the Panthers would have turned to departed senior Shavonte Zellous for leadership and guidance on the court.

Berenato said the Panthers still need leadership.

“We don’t have any of those [veteran leaders] just yet,” Berenato said. “We’re still looking for who is going to lead our team. This is a whole new team than you saw last year. They’re all new starters. Nobody really knows their place.”

Berenato said both Sims and Scott have the capability of stepping up as leaders.

But Sims has been out for a year and half since suffering a season-ending injury last season, and still needs to find her place on the court, Berenato said.

Despite leading the Panthers in scoring against the Nittany Lions, Scott suffered from the flu during the game, Berenato said.

Taneisha Harrison, who led the Panthers in scoring so far this season, managed only eight points against Penn State. Her season scoring average before the game was 16.1.

For the Panthers to win their close games this season, they need to find the players who can make the big plays, especially at the end of close games.

The game was tight throughout the first half, with Pitt taking a 33-30 advantage into the half.

But the Nittany Lions took a 38-37 lead three minutes into the second half.

The score was tied with eight minutes remaining in the game before Penn State’s Julia Trogele drained a 3-pointer to give the Nittany Lions a 55-52 advantage.

Penn State never relinquished the lead after that, even though Pitt trimmed the lead to one with three minutes left in the contest.

Sims hit a jumper with seven seconds remaining to cut the margin to 74-71, but freshman Nikki Greene followed by hitting two free throws to seal the victory for Penn State.

“To be honest with you, we didn’t want anyone taking free throws at the end of the game,” Berenato said. “That wasn’t our game plan. They all shoot really well.”

Berenato said the Nittany Lion’s crowd of more than 4,000 was effective for Penn State and helped generate excitement for the home team.

Penn State head coach Coquese Washington agreed.

“[The crowd] really played a role in this game for us,” Washington said. “There was a time in the second half when our kids were tired. I would tell them, ‘Look down there. See all those alumni and play for them.’”

Berenato said the crowd’s excitement stemmed from Penn State’s women’s basketball tradition, something the Panthers still need to build.

“Penn State goes back a long, long time with their tradition and their women’s basketball program,” Berenato said. “For us, we’re very new at it. This is just another step for us.”

The Panthers look to rebound from their loss as they play the second game of a three-game road stretch at Austin Peay Sunday at 3 p.m.