Women’s basketball: Panthers take on St. Francis

The Pitt women’s basketball team won both of its games this season by 20 or more points,… The Pitt women’s basketball team won both of its games this season by 20 or more points, including an 81-58 victory over Florida Friday night.

The No. 24 Panthers (2-0) look to continue that dominance when they take on St. Francis (Pa.)at the Petersen Events Center at 7 tonight.

Taneisha Harrison and Chelsea Cole scored in double figures in both games this season.

Harrison led the Panthers with 20 first-half points against Florida, a total that equaled the output of the entire Gator team.

Harrison said she worked on her 3-point shot over the summer and expects to shoot more 3s than she did last season.

She finished the game with a career-high 25 points on 4-for-5 run, shooting from beyond the arc.

“Taneisha came into her own [against Florida],” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said. “She had a stellar performance. I also thought Chelsea Cole and Kate Popovec really came down and handled the post.”

Cole collected a double-double against the Gators with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Popovec grabbed seven rebounds against Florida and nine against North Florida.

One of the most important developments for the Panthers this season is the return of point guard Jania Sims after she suffered a season-ending injury last year.

Berenato said having a true point guard on the floor “makes a world of difference” for the team.

“She just has so much confidence. She rebounds and brings it back up the court,” Berenato said. “She’s a coach on the court, and she’s intangible. Once Jania is a senior, she’ll be one of the best point guards in the country.”

Sims said that despite the injury, she never lost her confidence.

“There are a lot of different things I do before the game to warm up so that I’m [physically] fine and ready to go,” she said. “My wheels are starting to roll now.”

St. Francis (0-3) was picked to finish second in the Northeastern conference and received two first place votes in the preseason poll.

The Red Flash lost their first three games this season to Marquette, Delaware and Lehigh.

The trip to Pittsburgh marks their second of three consecutive road trips. St. Francis plays four of its first five games on the road.

Junior guard Samantha Leach was named to the All-NEC Preseason Team after she made the All-NEC Second Team last season.

She averaged 12.7 points for the team last year, which ranked her 14th in the conference.

Through three games this season, she’s averaged 9.3 points for the Red Flash, including a 16-point performance in a losing effort against Delaware.

Senior Brittany Hodges enters the game against the Panthers 14 points away from reaching the 1,000-point mark of her career.

Hodges averaged 9.7 points in three games this season. She scored 14 in the Red Flash’s last game against Lehigh.

The only other senior on the roster is Janie Killian, who led St. Francis in rebounding last season with 6.1 boards per game. She ranked No. 14 in the conference in rebounding.

The Red Flash also return Allison Daly, who was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team last season after managing double-doubles in both the finals and the quarterfinals of the tournament.