Zellous hits 2,000 mark in Pitt win

‘ ‘ ‘ Generally, in sports, numbers don’t lie. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When it comes to Pitt women’s… ‘ ‘ ‘ Generally, in sports, numbers don’t lie. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When it comes to Pitt women’s basketball’s Shavonte Zellous, numbers prove historic. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ In the wake of Pitt’s 82-70 dismantling of the No. 19-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, standout senior Zellous finds herself as only the third player in Pitt women’s basketball history to score 2,000 career points. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ While the accomplishment ought to raise eyebrows, Zellous demonstrated the poise of a seasoned pro in response to her historic achievement, dismissing the figure in an attempt to look ahead to the cliched ‘big picture.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s just another milestone,’ said Zellous. ‘I give all the credit to my teammates and coaching staff. It was great for the fans to see.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Zellous’ 29-point performance paved the way to victory for the surging Panthers (17-4, 7-2 Big East), as they extend their winning streak to six games. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt opened the match on a perfect note, draining two consecutive 3-pointers off the palms of Zellous and Xenia Stewart, respectively, before going on an eventual 15-4 run. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt coach Agnus Berenato praised her team’s fast start. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Hugely important,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Notre Dame settled down, however, after Pitt’s early dominant play and built momentum on Pitt’s missed jump shots. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Midway through the half, the Fighting Irish cut Pitt’s lead to three with an efficient transition game and timely shots, justifying their top-25 ranking. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But whatever momentum Notre Dame built, Pitt put to a halt with a strong beyond-the-arc performance in the first half, going 4-of-6. The perimeter game allowed the Panthers to then work the ball into the paint, positioning them to earn easy buckets with free throws. Pitt finished the first half going 10-of-12 from the line. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Zellous led the way for the Panthers in the first half, tallying 11 points to go along with three rebounds. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s solid play extended beyond scoring in the half, as fundamentals proved just as strong. The Panthers outrebounded Notre Dame on both offensive and defensive boards. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt walked into halftime leading 40-31. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The break sparked the Fighting Irish, as they jumped all over Pitt in the game’s second half with a 15-7 run. Notre Dame’s second wind mirrored Pitt’s early effectiveness, but a resilient Panthers team bent, but didn’t break. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Notre Dame (16-5, 5-4) saved face in the half’s early goings, but Pitt’s balanced attack proved too much for the visiting Fighting Irish. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Both Stewart and Taneisha Harrison finished the game with 17 points, while Shayla Scott earned a career-high 18 rebounds. Freshman Shawnice ‘Pepper’ Wilson contributed with 12 rebounds of her own. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Even though Berenato was impressed with the performance, it wasn’t anything she didn’t see coming. In fact, Berenato’s expectations for the game were simple. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We expected to win tonight,’ she said.