Zellous shines in exhibition

Pitt women’s basketball edged Premier Players, 83-82, in an exhibition at the Petersen… Pitt women’s basketball edged Premier Players, 83-82, in an exhibition at the Petersen Events Center Saturday. The contest featured 10 ties and 16 lead changes.

The Panthers host California (Pa.) Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center to open their 2006-2007 season.

“Premier Players was a great test,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said. “Our players, especially our underclassmen, showed great leadership in helping us rally from being down by nine at one point.

“More than the victory, I’m happy that everyone on the team helped and contributed.”

Redshirt sophomore Shavonte Zellous led the Panthers, scoring 30 points on 9-of-20 shooting, hitting all 12 of her foul-shot attempts. The 5-10 wing guard also tallied eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and one block in her 35 minutes on the floor.

“It felt good to score 30, especially since my career-high was 17 coming in,” Zellous said. “I needed to help Marcedes [Walker] be the leader on the court and I think I did that today.”

Zellous, an Orlando, Fla., native, is expected to contribute with her athleticism on both ends of the floor and as a team leader by Berenato.

“Shavonte is going to be huge for us this year on a few different levels,” Berenato said. “We’re going to need her quickness as well as her toughness a lot this season. And she is determined to provide that for us in any way possible.”

Walker — a preseason All-Big East Team selection — netted 21 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 6-3 center hauled in nine rebounds in 29 minutes in her starting role.

Sophomore Xenia Stewart notched her second-career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-foot guard added two assists in the win.

“We’re going to need our wings to help Marcedes on offense all season long,” Berenato said. “Xenia and Shavonte really did that [Saturday].”

Premier Players — a club filled with former collegiate and current professional players — held leads as big as nine points in the first half, but fell behind the Panthers when Walker laid in the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds left in the contest.

Premier Players forward Katie Alsdorf — a former Minnesota Golden Gophers player — missed a jumper 10 seconds later, and Pitt freshman Jania Sims pulled in the loose ball. Sims missed the ensuing free throw, but an offensive rebound by the Panthers forced Premier Players to foul Zellous, who promptly iced the game with a pair of foul shots.

Coming into Saturday’s contest, Premier Players had defeated Pitt’s Big East-rival St. John’s, 73-65, just two days before its trip to the Petersen Events Center. According to Berenato, that shows what kind of team the Panthers were playing.

“[Premier Players] are a really good group of talented players,” Berenato said. “For us to beat them in that kind of a close game really shows our toughness, our ability and how competitive we can be against good competition.”

St. John’s beat the Panthers by 17 points on Jan. 11, en route to its NCAA tournament berth and second-round appearance last season.

Sims contributed five points, five assists and four rebounds for the Panthers. The 5-7 point guard turned the ball over four times, adding to Pitt’s 21 turnovers in the game.

Berenato played nine players in all, with freshman Ashleigh Braxton scoring five of the bench’s seven points. Freshman Selena Nwude grabbed four rebounds and blocked four shots in 16 minutes off the pine.

Nikita Bell led Premier Players with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Former University of North Carolina player Leah Metcalf added 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.