Panthers upset No. 8 Maryland

Sunday marked another historic event for the Pitt women’s basketball team: The Panthers ran away… Sunday marked another historic event for the Pitt women’s basketball team: The Panthers ran away with an upset over No. 8 Maryland, 86-57. The game marked the biggest upset in the history of the program. Last year’s win over No. 9 Notre Dame in the Big East tournament was previously the largest upset for the Panthers. After seeing such a lopsided score at the end, Pitt coach Agnus Berenato attributed the win to great leadership and intense preparation. ‘There’s a saying that when opportunity meets preparation: you’re successful,’ said Berenato. ‘And I thought the team was very successful today because we were very well-prepared and we had the opportunity.’ Senior guard Shavonte Zellous led No. 24 Pitt (6-1) with 26 points, and fellow veteran Xenia Stewart tallied 22. Stewart, who was honored prior to the game for scoring her 1,000th point against Penn State, opened with an early layup. Maryland’s Marissa Coleman quickly followed with two points of her own. Sophomore Shayla Scott brought the ball back again, scoring three and giving Pitt a 5-2 lead. A jumper and a layup by the Terrapins gave Maryland the advantage, 6-5. All of this, and only two minutes into the game. With the game tied at 12, Zellous initiated an 11-point scoring streak. After turnovers from both sides, Zellous scored on a fast break. The ball was quickly back in Pitt’s hands, and Stewart hit a 3-pointer, giving Pitt a 17-12 lead. Scott, Stewart and Taneisha Harrison all scored, increasing Pitt’s lead to 11 before Maryland senior standout Kristi Toliver made a 3-pointer of her own, getting within eight at 23-15. From there, Maryland went on a scoring run of its own, scoring six times before eventually taking the lead, 26-25. But a final 14-6 run, highlighted by seven points from Sophronia Sallard, placed Pitt ahead 39-32 at the half. Harrison, who had a career-high 12 assists, started the second half with a free throw, sparking six consecutive points to give the Panthers a 45-32 lead. Maryland couldn’t get closer than 10 points the rest of the way. Zellous scored 20 points in the second half, in which Pitt lead by 31 at one point. Toliver scored only 12 points in the game, all of which came in the first half. Lynetta Kizer was the only other Terrapin in double figures with 10 points. Maryland coach Brenda Frese attributed the lack of leadership from Toliver and fellow senior Coleman, in part with overconfidence, to the loss. ‘Pitt just outworked, outhustled and outcompeted us for 40 minutes,’ said Frese. ‘Everything they did was right, everything we did was disappointing. All the credit goes to Pitt.’