Plummeting Panthers suffer fourth loss in five games

For about 12 minutes Sunday afternoon, the Pitt women’s basketball team looked like it could… For about 12 minutes Sunday afternoon, the Pitt women’s basketball team looked like it could hang with arguably the best team in the country.

The next 28 minutes showed why the Panthers aren’t quite there yet.

No. 2 Connecticut took advantage of Pitt foul trouble throughout to pull away from a close game yesterday in a 90-64 victory over the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center.

Connecticut improved its overall record to 24-1 and 11-1 in the Big East. The Huskies will likely slide into the top spot in the national polls after No. 1 Tennessee lost earlier in the week.

No. 18 Pitt (18-7, 8-4) dropped its third consecutive game, all against ranked opponents.

The first annual “Pink the Pete” event brought 6,253 fans to the building, mostly clad in pink attire to raise awareness for breast cancer.

But the added excitement could not limit the Panthers from fouling Huskies early and often. Xenia Stewart, Marcedes Walker and Shavonte Zellous all missed significant time in foul trouble and completed the game with four fouls apiece.

Connecticut’s defense put a choke hold on Walker and Zellous all game. Zellous tallied nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, and Walker failed to net a field goal for the second straight contest.

After leading 27-25 with 8:30 to go in the first half, the Panthers didn’t make another shot and went to the locker room trailing by 14. Pitt never got closer than 10 again.

“We’re disappointed in the outcome of the game because we came in wanting to win,” Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said. “I thought it was really exciting at the beginning of the game.”

Berenato agreed that the foul trouble severely hindered Pitt’s chances.

“You can’t make critical fouls or silly fouls and have everyone on the bench,” Berenato said. “The complexity of the game changed.”

Connecticut was able to shred the Pitt defense inside with the Panthers succumbing to foul trouble. The Huskies scored 52 points in the paint and out-rebounded Pitt, 45-36.

Mallorie Winn scored 16 points to lead the Panthers. Winn connected on 4 of 9 3-pointers and was credited with five assists.

“I thought Mallorie Winn stepped up today,” Berenato said. “Her offensive game was on.”

Five Connecticut players reached double digits in scoring, headed by Renee Montgomery with 17 points. Tina Charles attained a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Maya Moore scored 14 points in only 21 minutes.

Backup forward Charde Houston, averaging 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game coming into the matchup, delivered a monster performance. The senior scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and even tallied four assists and two steals.

Nonetheless, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma wasn’t happy with his team’s first 10 minutes of play.

“I think that’s the worst we’ve played [all season], but maybe it was a little bit of Pitt, too,” Auriemma said. “The last 30 minutes might have been the best ball we’ve played all year.”

Neither side could gain a significant advantage in the first few minutes. Winn looked to be on fire early, connecting on four 3-point attempts without missing. Winn scored 12 of Pitt’s first 20 points, all from behind the arc.

Moore left the court after picking up her second foul with 13:29 to go in the first half after elbowing Stewart. The Huskies picked up the slack without their star, frustrating the Panthers using tenacious defense and superior rebounding. The two clubs fought back and forth, alternating baskets almost every time down the floor. A Taneisha Harrison jumper put the Panthers ahead, 27-25.

But Connecticut scored the next eight points as part of the game-defining run. Its defense stepped up tremendously, causing Pitt miscues and missed shots.

The Panthers also started fouling at an alarming rate. When Chelsea Cole fouled Charles on a basket, four Pitt players had accumulated two fouls for the half.

The back-breaker occurred when Zellous picked up her third foul with 24 seconds remaining in the half on a loose ball. Walker did the same a few minutes earlier. Overall, Connecticut finished the half on an 18-2 run. Pitt’s two points came on free throws by Cole, and the Panthers were held without a field goal in the final 8:30.

Zellous scored only two points in the half, while Walker failed to register a basket. The Panthers’ deficit, 43-29, was their largest in the first 20 minutes. Stewart scored the first four points of the second half to cut the advantage to 10 points. But she committed her fourth foul shortly afterward and had to sit down.