Women’s Basketball: Huge first half from Harrison pushes Pitt past Gators

Taneisha Harrison scored as many points in the first half as Florida’s entire squad as the… Taneisha Harrison scored as many points in the first half as Florida’s entire squad as the Pitt women’s basketball team rolled to an 81-58 victory over the Gators tonight.

What started as a closely contested first half ended with an onslaught of points by the Panthers (3-0), giving them a 43-20 lead going into halftime.

Harrison scored her 20 first half points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.

“I’m just focused and ready for the game,” Harrison said. “Coach [Agnus Berenato] has been talking all week that we need somebody to step up and make plays, so I did.”

Harrison keyed a 12-0 five-minute first-half run that allowed the Panthers to turn a tie game into a lopsided halftime advantage.

“I think from the beginning of the game we started out with a lot of intensity and we weren’t letting up,” Pitt point guard Jania Sims said. “We weren’t looking at the scoreboard, we just wanted to keep pounding and shooting.”

Pitt increased their lead during the first 10 minutes of the second half, when the Panthers went on a 19-4 run. During that time, the Gators shot around nine percent from the field.

“I thought it was a marquee win over an SEC team and a team that beat us last year,” Berenato said. “Our team took what the defense gave them and I also thought our defense was spectacular. For the first thirty minutes of the game, we really looked like a good basketball team.”

Pitt shot 46.9 percent for the game, including 50 percent in the first half. They held the Gators to 35.6 percent shooting for the game.

Five Panthers finished the game in double figures.

Harrison led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, followed by Sims who added 16 points and three assists.

Sims returned to the Panthers this season after suffering a season-ending injury last year and Berenato said Sims’ importance to the Panthers was obvious against Florida.

“Her wheels are still catching up to her engine right now,” Berenato said. “But by January, watch out. She’s one of the best point guards in the country.”

Berenato said that Pitt’s points in the paint and their scores off turnovers were a direct result of Sims’s ability to drive and to control the tempo.

The Panthers dominated inside, outscoring Florida 30-8 in the paint. They also took advantage of Gator mistakes, scoring 15 points off turnovers, while Florida managed no points off Pitt’s 12 turnovers.

“My wheels are starting to roll now,” Sims said. “I never lost my confidence. Even if I did, I knew my teammates would pick me up.”

Shayla Scott contributed 11 points, while Kate Popovec added 10.

Chelsea Cole finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

The Panthers went 7-of-13 from three in the first half, but only attempted two threes in the second half.

Florida shot 0-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, but found their stroke in the second half, shooting 41.4 percent.

Jordan Jones led Florida with 14 points and five assists. Sharielle Smith was the only other Gator player in double figures with 10.

The Panthers are back at the Pete Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to face Saint Francis.