Panther women rope Cowgirls, dance on

With star center Marcedes Walker struggling and in foul trouble and guard Shavonte Zellous… With star center Marcedes Walker struggling and in foul trouble and guard Shavonte Zellous missing jump shots, Pitt needed a boost from an unfamiliar face against Wyoming on Saturday.

College basketball, meet Sophronia Sallard.

Sallard, a sophomore, hit seven of her eight shot attempts, including all six in a gritty first-half performance, to lead the No. 6-seed Panthers (23-10) past Wyoming in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament, 63-58.

Pitt advances to face No. 3 Baylor in the Spokane Region on Monday. Baylor defeated Fresno State on Saturday, 88-67.

Sallard, a transfer from Kansas, scored a career-high 15 points – 13 of which came in the first half.

It was undoubtedly her best game as a Panther, and it couldn’t have come in a more important game.

The game was held at The Pit arena on New Mexico’s campus, and just about every fan of the 6,097 in attendance cheered throughout for No. 11 Wyoming (24-7).

But while Wyoming’s 3-pointers and patience on the offensive end bent the Panthers, Sallard assured they wouldn’t break.

The Cowgirls clearly controlled the pace of the first half, especially with Walker on the bench with two fouls.

They hoisted up shot after shot and connected on many of them.

After falling behind 24-19 with about five minutes to go in the first half, Sallard made a 3-pointer and a jump shot in succession to pull the Panthers even.

Pitt was certainly thankful for Sallard’s career game.

“It was huge,” Zellous told the Associated Press.

“It helped that she was making shots while Marcedes was on the bench and Mallorie [Winn] wasn’t shooting well.”

While Sallard kept Pitt in the game in the first half, Walker, Zellous and Winn gave Pitt the stamp of victory.

Walker scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half, Zellous finished with 21, and Winn hit a game-breaking 3-pointer with 2:27 to seal the win.

The game was a battle throughout, with neither side earning a lead larger than five until the final minute.

Wyoming’s Justyna Podziemska hit a 3-pointer with 4:00 left in the game to put the Cowgirls ahead, 54-53.

Neither team budged again until Winn connected on her only 3-pointer and field goal for the game, giving Pitt a 56-54 advantage.

Winn played 38 minutes and went only 1-for-6 from the field.

But that one shot made the difference.

“Mallorie has a lot of confidence, and the team has a lot of confidence in her,” Pitt coach Agnus Berenato told the Associated Press.

“She could miss 10 in a row, and I guarantee you that if she’s open, she’s still going to shoot the next one.”

The Panthers went 7 of 8 shooting free throws down the stretch and never trailed again.

Podziemska led the Cowgirls with 23 points, shooting 5 of 12 from 3-point range.

Hanna Zavecz and Jodi Bolerjack added 10 apiece.

Known for its 3-point shooting, Wyoming didn’t disappoint.

It took 27 long distance shots in the contest, only making eight of them.

Most of the connections made, however, came in crucial moments.

With 8:32 left in the game, Bolerjack nailed a 3-pointer to notch the score at 49.

Pitt went through a stretch of four minutes without scoring before Zellous stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a layup to make it 51-51.

Xenia Stewart followed with her only points of the game to give Pitt the two-point advantage.

But Podziemska’s 3-pointer sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave Wyoming the lead, 54-53.

That set the stage for Winn’s 3-pointer and the game.

Pitt’s matchup tonight against Baylor is set for 7 p.m.