Women finally at home

Fresh off the heels of an important Fifth Third Classic win over the weekend, Pitt women’s… Fresh off the heels of an important Fifth Third Classic win over the weekend, Pitt women’s basketball takes on Ohio tonight in its first home game this season.

After seven consecutive contests to start the season away from the Petersen Events Center, the Panthers are ready to play in front of the Pitt faithful.

“We’re happy to be going home,” Pitt coach Agnus Berenato told Pittsburghpanthers.com. “We’ve played all seven of our games on the road and the team is definitely anxious to play at the Petersen Events Center.”

For a team that was nationally ranked to start the season, it might seem peculiar that a team of Pitt’s stature would play seven away games in a row, much like a mid-major program, but that’s not the case.

The Panthers (5-2) have already played in two weekend tournaments, including the one last weekend. Five of their seven matchups have come from those competitions.

Pitt lost to Penn State in the final of the WBCA Classic a few weeks ago in a virtual home game for the Nittany Lions.

The other loss came at the hands of No. 3-ranked Maryland.

Things won’t get any easier with No. 17-ranked Duke coming to town this weekend. But first, Pitt has to deal with Ohio.

The Bobcats (3-3) have yet to play anyone from a major conference.

Ohio coach Sylvia Crawley is in her second season with the Bobcats. She directed the school to an 18-12 record last year.

The last time Ohio had that many wins was the 1994-95 season.

Crawley played in the WNBA with the Portland Fire and San Antonio Silver Stars, and had her jersey retired at her alma mater North Carolina.

Senior guard Lauren Kohn leads Ohio. The transfer from Syracuse paces the Bobcats in both points (17.2) and rebounds (5.8) per game.

Center Chandra Myers, a 6-foot-4-inch junior, will guard Pitt’s main weapon, Marcedes Walker. In last year’s 77-69 Pitt triumph, Walker torched the Bobcats for 30 points and 14 rebounds.

Walker has been dominant all season long, averaging 14.3 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. She recorded double-doubles in each tournament game to increase her career total to 41. Walker earned the MVP of the Fifth Third Classic this past weekend.

“[Walker] took the team on her shoulders and led us to the tournament win,” Berenato said. “I felt Marcedes played really well.”

For as hot as Walker has been, teammate Shavonte Zellous has been matching her accomplishment by accomplishment.

Zellous made the All-Tournament team in the Fifth Third Classic with her 32 combined points off the bench. Zellous also added 30 on Tuesday in the loss to Maryland. She was named the Big East Player of the Week on Monday.

The honor came simultaneously with Zellous eclipsing the 1,000-point mark on Saturday. Zellous leads the team in points per game with 17.3. Zellous averaged 19.1 points a game last year.

A win for Pitt tonight is vital for its upcoming schedule. Another high-ranking ACC team, Duke, awaits the Panthers.