Women get trampled at UConn

Early pressure by No. 4 Connecticut ended the Pitt women’s basketball team’s five game win… Early pressure by No. 4 Connecticut ended the Pitt women’s basketball team’s five game win streak Saturday as UConn beat the Panthers, 82-68, in Hartford, Conn.

The Panthers (20-6, 8-5 Big East) opened up the scoring by building a 4-0 lead just two minutes into the game. But that didn’t last long as the Huskies (24-2, 13-0) pulled ahead to make the score 11-6 with 15:49 remaining in the half. They would increase their lead throughout the first half with 18-0 and 13-4 runs, making the score 45-25 at halftime.

UConn held its largest lead of the day after the 18-0 run, which put the Huskies up by 23 points. During the run, Charde Houston scored eight points while Tina Charles and Kalana Greene each chipped in four.

Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said that the team needed to come out and attack in the second half in order to make a difference.

“We felt intimidated in the first half,” Berenato said at halftime. “Winners can’t go in and have fear. We needed to attack their team, and that’s what we did.”

Pitt, who outscored the Huskies, 43-37, in the second, came out strong after the half, but its play seemed to be mirrored by UConn as the teams matched shot for shot, enabling Connecticut to maintain its massive lead.

“I told my team that it’s a new ball game. The score is 0-0,” Berenato said. “You can’t be looking up at the scoreboard, you have to be playing your game.”

The defensive play of the Huskies on Shavonte Zellous, who entered the game averaging 20 points per contest, seemed to be an early catalyst for UConn’s lead. Zellous was held without a point for the first 11:30 of the game. She finished with only 11 points and three assists.

“They really keyed in on Shavonte,” Berenato said as she explained the two-defender set the Huskies used against Zellous.

Marcedes Walker, who finished with her ninth double-double of the season, led the Panthers in scoring with 22 points to go along with her 16 rebounds.

“Marcedes had a great game. She came out strong and had great numbers,” Berenato said.

In a bright spot for Pitt, freshman Selena Nwude played a solid game off the bench for the Panthers, scoring 12 second-half points and 14 total. She also turned a solid performance in the paint as she collected seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Berenato reflected positively on the play of Nwude as of late and the adjustments she’s made to her game.

“Selena has confidence in the system, in her teammates, and she’s starting to play to the pace of the game,” Berenato said. “She’s really adjusting well.”

Houston, who scored 14 first-half points, finished with 23 points for the Huskies as she shot 61 percent from the floor. She also chipped in 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Tina Charles, a 6-3 center who was last week’s Big East Freshman of the Week, turned in 16 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies.

Fouls played a key role in the game for the Panthers as two of their top players, Zellous and Jania Sims, each committed four.

Turnovers also seemed to contribute to Pitt’s struggles as it gave up the ball 18 times over the course of the game. Walker and Sims led the Panthers in this category, finishing with six and five turnovers, respectively.

The Huskies scored 21 points off Panther turnovers while only giving up 12 of their own.

“We were playing tentative and hesitant,” Berenato said. “And when you play that way, you turn the ball over.”

The Huskies, who won or shared a part of 11 Big East titles from 1994-2004, clinched their 12th such title with the win.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 14,992 at the Hartford Civic Center, and Pitt Assistant Coach Shea Ralph, a former Huskies captain and national champion in 2000, was honored before the game as one of the all-time great UConn players.

Pitt returns home for a Tuesday night matchup against West Virginia. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.