Panthers struggle from field, lose at Seton Hall

When it comes to Pitt women’s basketball in Big East competition, there is no place like… When it comes to Pitt women’s basketball in Big East competition, there is no place like home.

Pitt (15-5, 3-4 in the Big East) exchanged basket for basket with Seton Hall until the final buzzer Saturday, but freshman Jania Sims’ half-court prayer went unanswered as time ran out, and the Panthers lost their second consecutive game, 51-50. The Panthers are 1-3 in conference road games this season.

Seton Hall (12-8, 4-5 in the Big East) held Pitt to 29 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers. The Pirates shot 34 percent and turned the ball over 20 times, but forward Monique Blake’s free throw with 1.7 seconds remaining made the difference.

“This was a great game,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said in a release. “But it was really a tough way to end it.”

The Pirates took a 50-48 lead with 23 seconds remaining when junior guard Ela Mukosiej sank a jump shot. But Pitt (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today) responded six seconds later when Sims drilled a mid-range jumper to tie the contest at 50.

Seton Hall burned a timeout with 14 seconds left, setting up its final play. Mukosiej found the cutting Blake, who was fouled by Pitt guard Shavonte Zellous on her layup attempt.

Blake hit her first foul shot, but the second clanged out, setting up Pitt’s final possession.

But, as was the case all afternoon, the Panthers couldn’t find the basket when it mattered.

“Seton Hall had a great defensive effort,” Berenato added in the release.

Pitt shot eight for 28 in the first half and fell behind for the remainder of the game after scoring the contest’s first basket.

Seton Hall sprinted to a 21-12 lead and held a 29-22 advantage at the break.

“The first eight minutes of the first half, we really missed some great shots,” Berenato said.

But the Panthers responded with a 9-2 run to start the second half, tying Seton Hall at 33. The resilient Pirates returned the favor after a timeout, tallying seven unanswered points of their own.

It took Pitt eight more minutes to pull back to a tie as the Panthers used a 7-0 run to gridlock the score at 46.

“I thought we played well in the second half,” Berenato said.

Junior Marcedes Walker led Pitt with 15 points on seven-of-13 shooting. The 6-3 center hauled in seven rebounds in 37 minutes of action.

Starting wing Xenia Stewart added 14 points, shooting two-for-nine from the field. The 6-0 sophomore sank 10 of 13 from the free-throw line and snatched eight rebounds and two steals for the Panthers.

Zellous, Pitt’s leading scorer, struggled all afternoon, finishing with 13 points – nine of which came from free throws. The 5-10 redshirt sophomore shot two of 16 and committed eight turnovers in 34 minutes.

Mukosiej led all scorers with 19 points. The 5-11 junior grabbed seven rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes. The Poland native scored four of her team’s final five points.

Blake was the only other Seton Hall player in double figures, scoring 12 points on five-of-13 shooting off the bench. She collected seven rebounds, adding two steals and one block in 25 minutes.

Seton Hall’s bench outscored Pitt, 18-8. The Pirates also out-rebounded the Panthers, 47-39, including 16 offensive boards.

The Panthers traveled to the free-throw line 27 times, hitting 20 of their attempts. In contrast, Seton Hall only nailed six of its 10 attempts.

Pitt returns to Big East action Wednesday against Notre Dame at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers are 7-1 at home this season, including a 2-1 mark in the Big East. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.