Panthers look to start Big East win streak

The Pitt women’s basketball team is in the midst of one of its finest seasons in team… The Pitt women’s basketball team is in the midst of one of its finest seasons in team history, and its top-25 ranking has made headlines both locally and nationally.

Fresh off an impressive 84-75 road victory against Big East rival Syracuse, the Panthers hope to continue their roll and improve upon their 2-2 conference record this Saturday against the South Florida Bulls.

Despite being blown out at Rutgers a few weeks ago, Pitt has shown marked improvement in conference play from a year ago. That improvement was evident in the 91-87 overtime, upset victory against the higher-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles last Tuesday. Not only did the Panthers get their payback from last season’s WNIT semifinal loss to the Golden Eagles, but they also halted Marquette’s 14-game win streak.

Upsetting a higher-ranked team is nothing new for the South Florida Bulls, however, who just days ago bested the then 15th-ranked Louisville Cardinals. The win marked the second-highest ranked team that USF has ever defeated. In that game, Bulls sophomore guard Shantia Grace scored 20 points and delivered a season-high 11 assists in the Bulls 74-58 victory over Louisville.

Grace was 6-17 from the field, 2-5 from 3-point range and 6-6 at the line while ripping four steals for the 14-4 (4-1 Big East) Bulls. Like the Panthers, the Bulls are also off to a record start, their second best in school history, behind the 1976-77 team.

One of the reasons why the Bulls are running wild as of late is because of their defense and transition game. This was evident in their last game, when USF was able to score 27 points off 22 Louisville miscues and outscored the Cardinals 11-4 in fast-break points. Their stifling defense also held the Cardinals to 6.7 percent shooting (1-15) from behind the arc.

The USF offense is no pushover either. Although Grace stole the show against Louisville, the Panthers will face one of the nation’s best offensive players in Jessica Dickson. The All-American and National Player of the Year candidate recently earned her seventh Big East Conference women’s basketball weekly honor when she was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the week ending Jan. 14. Dickson scored 15 points to go along with nine rebounds in the contest against Louisville.

The Bulls’ strengths, however, mirror those of the Panthers, meaning Saturday’s contest between the two teams should be a good one. Like the Bulls, the Panthers excelled defensively in their last game against Syracuse, holding the Orange to just 10 percent from 3-point range and 40.4 percent overall.

Additionally, the Pitt offense had little problems dealing with the Syracuse defense, shooting 46.9 percent, including going 4-10 from behind the arc. The No. 25 Panthers were led in that game by sophomore Xenia Stewart’s 20 points but were very well-balanced, a characteristic which proves essential in postseason play.

Right behind Stewart was rising star Shavonte Zellous with 19 points, and not far behind them were Pitt’s dominant center Marcedes Walker and guard Karlyle Lim, who added 17 and 16 points, respectfully.

The road triumph improved the Panthers’ overall record to 14-3 and has the Panthers brimming with confidence heading into their game against USF

“A win on the road is huge for us in this league,” head coach Agnus Berenato said of her team’s win at Syracuse on pittsburghpanthers.com “It has been hard for us to maintain a large lead, and I am excited that we pulled it out tonight.”

When the Panthers and Bulls met in the regular season last year at the Petersen Events Center, Pitt pulled out a win on point guard Mallorie Winn’s buzzer-beating jumper.

Pitt will host USF this Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. for Girl Scouts and UPMC Women in Sports Day.