Pitt tries to make history in Spokane

Pitt women’s basketball continues to make history under coach Agnus Berenato.

One more… Pitt women’s basketball continues to make history under coach Agnus Berenato.

One more victory just might cause the record book to explode.

For the first time in program history, the Panthers are heading to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament thanks to a 67-59 win over Baylor on Monday.

Pitt (24-10) squares off against second-seeded Stanford on Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. in Spokane, Wash.

The contest will be shown on ESPN2.

Berenato is overjoyed just at the prospect of sixth-seeded Pitt’s situation.

“Some people, some great people and great coaches, go their entire careers and never get to experience a Sweet 16 or a Final Four or whatever,” Berenato told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“And so this is our time to seize the moment.”

Pitt isn’t finished completing its goals.

But a major roadblock sits in the Panthers’ path of reaching the Final Four.

Stanford isn’t your typical No. 2 seed.

In fact, many prognosticators chose the Cardinal as one of the top seeds and were shocked that Maryland earned the No. 1 seed in Spokane ahead of Stanford.

Stanford is currently 32-3, and finished Pac-10 play in first with a 16-2 conference record.

The Cardinal easily won their conference tournament as well.

With the exception of the overall No. 1 team Connecticut, Stanford may be the hottest team in the nation.

It hasn’t lost since Jan. 6, a 73-72 defeat to Southern California.

Almost three months later, Stanford’s 20-game winning streak is on the line against Pitt.

Thus far into the Tournament, Stanford has demolished its opponents.

The Cardinal opened by dismantling Cleveland State, 85-47, and then UTEP, 88-54, in the second round.

Senior guard Candice Wiggins leads Stanford and, just like her team, she is heating up at the perfect time.

Wiggins scored 44 points, half of Stanford’s total, in Monday’s victory over UTEP.

That amount now stands as the third-most points scored in NCAA Tournament history and ties a school record.

Wiggins is averaging 19.8 points per game for the year.

Stanford is far from a one-woman show, however. Sophomore center Jayne Appel, a 6-foot-4-inch Californian, is averaging 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Freshman Kayla Pedersen, Appel’s 6-4 frontcourt mate with equally impressive numbers, adds 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Cardinal, however, do have some depth concerns.

Productive players Michelle Harrison and Melanie Murphy are both out for the season with injuries.

Forward Jillian Harmon just recently returned from a foot injury that held her out for a month.

But overall, Stanford’s resume is quite impressive.

In nonconference play, the Cardinal knocked off such top teams as Rutgers, Tennessee, Old Dominion, Baylor and Utah. The former three clubs are still in the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford’s only nonconference loss came at the hands of top-ranked Connecticut.

It goes without saying that this contest will be one of Pitt’s biggest challenges of the year, but it is also the most important game in the program’s history.

The Panthers have won five of their past six games, with the only loss coming against none other than Connecticut in the Big East tournament.

Pitt fought past tough competition in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, playing a virtual road game in its first contest against Wyoming.

Pitt played its first two games in Albuquerque, N.M.

Shavonte Zellous and Marcedes Walker have raised their level of play to pace the Panthers’ victories over Wyoming and Baylor.

Zellous is averaging 20 points through the two games, while Walker stands at 15 points per game.

The senior Walker has to avoid foul trouble against Appel and Pedersen.

Walker fouled out against Baylor on Monday but, when she was on the floor, she was too strong for Baylor’s players underneath the basket.

Pitt’s sparkling duo has received some much-needed assistance from its role players thus far in the Tournament.

Forward Sophronia Sallard scored a career-high 15 points in the opening round win against Wyoming, and added seven points and 11 rebounds against Baylor.

Senior guard Mallorie Winn has been a horse for the Panthers.

She played a game-high 39 minutes against Baylor, grinding out 12 points and five rebounds.

The bench will have to be more of a factor against Stanford.

Only Taneisha Harrison played more than eight minutes in the Baylor triumph, meaning that Pitt mostly went with a six-player rotation.

Freshmen Shayla Scott and Chelsea Cole have made important contributions all season, and they will be expected to step in on Saturday in key situations.

Anyone can chime in to help Pitt make history yet again.

Just one more win will do the trick.