No. 19 Pitt goes cold, upset by Providence

The No. 19 Pitt women’s basketball team lost its first game in Big East play last night, falling… The No. 19 Pitt women’s basketball team lost its first game in Big East play last night, falling 77-69 to unranked Providence. The Panthers (11-3, 1-1 Big East) had previously beat the Friars (7-7, 1-1) in their past six contests, winning 81-61 at home last year. Pitt guard Shavonte Zellous tried to steal the show, scoring 28 points in the game. But it wasn’t enough. Providence’s Emily Cournoyer scored 19 points and added 11 rebounds for the Friars to help snap the three-game losing streak. Mi-Khinda Hankins and Trinity Hull added 13 points in the effort. The game was close throughout the beginning as the Panthers and Providence scored back and forth, tying the game three times in the first seven minutes before Pitt pulled away. The Panthers led 23-14 after a 9-0 run before the Friars scored again. Zellous scored five of the points in the run while freshman standout Kate Popovec scored four. From there, Providence went on a run of its own, bringing the score to 23-21 before both teams scored and tied the game at 25. A 3-point jumper from Catherine Bove gave Providence the lead, and the Friars scored two more times before Pitt responded. Each team was called for two fouls in the final minutes of the first half, leaving the score in favor of Providence, 40-31. Providence didn’t give up its lead in the second half, even though Pitt got off to a much faster start. Zellous scored two and assisted Pepper Wilson, who had four points to start the half. Zellous and Wilson continued to score, reducing Pitt’s deficit to six before Providence went on a 10-1 run and led 60-45 with 12:45 to go in the game. The Panthers were down by as much as 18 at one point in the second half. The Panthers tried to come back, outscoring Providence 14-4 in the final six minutes of the game, but it was too late. Senior Xenia Stewart, who ended the game with 18 points and eight rebounds, scored eight points in Pitt’s final run. Pitt didn’t score from behind the arc in the entire game and shot only 33.8 percent overall, while the Friars shot 44.3 percent from the field and hit 5-of-9 3-pointers. Last night’s win marks the first Big East win for the Friars this season, as they lost their conference opener to St. John’s on Saturday. It was also the first time Providence beat a ranked opponent since it upset No. 22-ranked Syracuse last February. Pitt travels to DePaul on Saturday, looking to redeem itself with a Big East win.