Shooting fails Panthers against Aggies

Unable to find a way to score, the Pitt women’s basketball team dropped its season opener… Unable to find a way to score, the Pitt women’s basketball team dropped its season opener against No. 11 Texas A’amp;M 56-50 at the State Farm Classic in Baton Rouge, La., last night. Although the Panthers were up 25-23 at the half, they were unable to capitalize on their two-point lead. The Panthers got out to a slow start in the second half, scoring four points in the first eight minutes, compared to the Aggies’ 11 points. In addition to the nonexistent offense, the Panthers had 18 turnovers with 11:47 to go in the game, ending with 22 turnovers overall. Although Pitt struggled to find a rhythm, it took advantage of free-throw opportunities to get within three points of the Aggies, making the score 40-37 with 7:47 remaining. The Panthers failed to keep any momentum, however, as the Aggies’ increased their lead to 52-44, with less than two minutes remaining. Redshirt freshman Tyra White led the Aggies with 13 points, followed by Sydney Colson with 12. Big 12 standout Danielle Gant had nine points and 13 rebounds for Texas A’amp;M. In her first collegiate start, freshman Shawnice ‘Pepper’ Wilson grabbed nine rebounds for the Panthers.’ Ultimately, Pitt’s loss was the result of both the Aggies’ defense and the Panthers’ inability to produce an offensive flow. Texas A’amp;M’s defense proved to be too much, holding the Panthers to 12 for 47 from the field. The Panthers’ three assists came from Xenia Stewart, Taneisha Harrison and Jania Sims. While star guard Shavonte Zellous managed to accumulate 23 points to lead all scorers, the Aggies held her to 3-of-16 shooting. All of Zellous’ points came from beyond the arc or at the free-throw line. She made three 3-point attempts and 14 free throws. Harrison scored the second most points for the Panthers, ending with a total of 12. Harrison also had seven of Pitt’s 22 turnovers. The Panthers return to action this Thursday at 7 p.m. when they travel to Western Michigan.