Panthers face off with Friars

The last time the Pitt women’s basketball team squared off against Providence, Friars’ coach… The last time the Pitt women’s basketball team squared off against Providence, Friars’ coach Phil Seymore was so enthralled with Panthers guard Shavonte Zellous that he said she belonged in the WNBA. Zellous looks to continue her hot streak both this season and against the Friars when No. 19 Pitt travels to face Providence on the road tonight at 7 p.m. The senior Zellous has torched her last few opponents with her offensive prowess. She scored 34 points to lead the Panthers (11-2, 1-0 Big East) past Big East rival West Virginia 72-63 on Sunday. In her last five contests, Zellous averaged 28 points per game, aided by a career-best 42-point effort against Florida Dec. 21. Some of Zellous’ better performances the past few years came at the expense of Providence. She averaged 20.3 points in three games against the school, scoring a combined 59 in the last two contests. Last season, Pitt dismantled the Friars 81-61 at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers dished out 22 assists on 28 field goals in that game and shot 53 percent from the field. Pitt coach Agnus Berenato reached a milestone in Sunday’s triumph over West Virginia. The victory was Berenato’s 100th in the midst of her sixth season with the Panthers. Berenato has accumulated 383 wins in her coaching career. The Friars sputtered out of the gate this season, losing four of their first six games before a four-game winning stretch. Their streakiness has continued, as they dropped their last three, including the Big East opener against St. John’s Saturday 57-52. Seymore’s squad is the only team in the conference with a losing record, at 6-7. Mi-Khida Hankins paces the Friars with 11 points per game, while senior leader Chelsea Marandola adds 10.6 per contest. Hankins and Marandola are two of three Friars who have started all 13 games thus far. The game can be watched online at www.pittsburghpanthers.com.