Wilson’s versatility starting to show

‘ ‘ ‘ Two disappointing back-to-back losses in early January seem like a distant memory. But… ‘ ‘ ‘ Two disappointing back-to-back losses in early January seem like a distant memory. But since its home loss to DePaul Jan. 10, the Pitt women’s basketball team reeled off five straight victories. ‘ ‘ ‘ The exclamation point came Friday night against a solid Marquette squad. Pitt didn’t miss a beat in the 32-point win against a team that knocked off then-No. 4 Notre Dame just two weeks ago. ‘ ‘ ‘ To little surprise, it was senior guard Shavonte Zellous who exploded for a tremendous offensive performance. The senior guard scored 31 points while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. ‘ ‘ ‘ Shawnice ‘Pepper’ Wilson recognizes Zellous’ importance to the team. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When the team is down, we always look for Shavonte to step up and give us that spark,’ said Wilson. ‘She never fails, she never lets us down.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt coach Agnus Berenato agrees with Wilson and knows that Zellous has been the emotional leader of the team. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘[Zellous] did a great job scoring the ball, but she was also really encouraging to her teammates, she was constantly talking to them,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ There hasn’t been a question all year about Zellous being the face of the team. She’s the one who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated before the season. She’s the one who leads the team in scoring and, she’s the one who’s headed to the WNBA. ‘ ‘ ‘ But it wasn’t just Zellous’ 31 points that helped Pitt take down Marquette. ‘ ‘ ‘ Wilson had the most productive game of her career, scoring 13 points and snagging 17 rebounds. She added three steals, blocked three shots and led the team in assists with four. ‘ ‘ ‘ Wilson’s 17 rebounds are equal to what Marquette was able to register on the defensive glass for the entire game. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s up to me to go out on defense and box out and get rebounds,’ said Wilson. ‘The coaches really stressed rebounding in practice, so I made rebounding a priority.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The aftermath? ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I thought Pepper had a phenomenal game,’ said Berenato. ‘She had a breakout game. Every time you turn around, you saw her getting a rebound or a blocked shot.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ While Zellous is undeniably the face of this club, the fans at the Pete were introduced to the future face of Pitt women’s basketball. ‘ ‘ ‘ It couldn’t have been a more perfect time for Wilson to step onto the scene, in front of what Berenato believes was ‘the best crowd of the year,’ at the annual ‘Pack the Pete.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Berenato admits that she demands a lot from her players, but Wilson’s development might just be a result of putting the time and determination into her system. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re really hard on our student athletes, but I think that’s our job,’ said Berenato. ‘I think their good isn’t good enough for us, we see more. Pepper works so hard in practice every day.’