A-C-C-ya

Mallorie Winn knew that pride was on the line when Pitt took on Atlantic Coast Conference… Mallorie Winn knew that pride was on the line when Pitt took on Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Virginia in Friday’s NIT quarterfinals.

“I gave my speech today,” she said. “I said, ‘Three people in this room are coming from the ACC. We definitely have to step it up for the Big East.'”

She wasn’t kidding.

The junior scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Panthers (22-10) to the semifinals with a 68-58 victory.

“Mallorie knew what was at stake today,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said afterwards. “She’s playing with a vengeance, and she’s playing like a leader. Whenever we needed anything tonight, she handled it.”

Winn added six assists and seven rebounds. The team leader in free-throw percentage also hit seven of eight foul shots.

The other half of Pitt’s potent one-two punch, center Marcedes Walker gave the Cavaliers fits the entire game, scoring 16 points while pulling down six rebounds. Although foul trouble kept her on the bench for part of the first half, the center still made her presence felt.

“‘Cedes played 10 minutes in the first half, but I felt like Virginia didn’t have an answer for her,” Berenato said. “They really tried to double-team and triple-team her.”

Virginia coach Debbie Ryan agreed.

“We weren’t catching her high enough, weren’t getting her out of her lane,” she said. “We’re a pretty physical team, and I thought we backed down.”

Walker’s foul trouble followed her into the second half, as she picked up her fourth with 12:44 to play. But Berenato and her staff didn’t want Walker out of the game long, and moved her to the wing in their zone in an attempt to keep her clear of foul trouble.

“I don’t believe it was a gamble,” Berenato said of leaving her center in the game. “She’s been playing so hard, and her energy level is what gets her the fouls.”

Walker herself acknowledged that she had to adjust and change her style to fit the circumstances.

“I had to play smarter,” she said. “I had to get my teammates involved.”

She did both. After the fourth foul, she scored the Panthers’ next six points and also added a highlight-reel dish after a spin move to Cheron Taylor, who connected for a layup.

Taylor finished with eight points and four rebounds.

Pitt controlled the tempo for nearly the whole game, allowing Virginia only one lead, at 3-2. But the Cavaliers nearly caught the Panthers twice.

After Pitt jumped out to a 15-3 lead to open the game, the Cavaliers slowly made their way back, getting within two when Takisha Granberry sank both ends of a one-and-one to make it 21-19 with 3:01 to play. The Panthers scored the last seven points of the half – five of them came from Winn – and used a big defensive stand highlighted by a Shavonte Zellous block to hold Virginia at 19, the second-fewest first-half points Pitt has allowed all year.

“We had two weeks between the Big East Tournament and the NIT,” Berenato said. “All we worked on was defense.”

In the second half, Pitt again built a big lead, this time a 14-point margin with 13:44 to play. But the Cavaliers wouldn’t go away, closing the gap to 57-48 at the last media timeout with 3:25 left in the game. Berenato pulled her team into the huddle and told them to stop the run right then.

“I said, ‘There’s 200 seconds left. You’re gonna have off tomorrow no matter what,'” she said. “‘Just dig down deep and don’t let them hit any threes.'”

They didn’t. After the timeout, Virginia hit six straight foul shots, with Brenna McGuire’s free throws at the 2:11 mark pulling her team within 57-54. But the Panthers weren’t about to let this one slip away.

Twenty seconds later, McGuire fouled Xenia Stewart, and the freshman sank both of her shots to extend the margin to five. From there, the Panthers scored 9 of the game’s final 13 points, hitting several foul shots down the stretch to seal their 22nd victory, tying the school record set by the 1980-81 team.

“I thought we were really composed,” Berenato said. “Xenia Stewart stepped up and hit two free throws that were huge.”

Virginia’s rallies coincided with many Pitt turnovers. The Panthers had 19 on the game, but Berenato did not seem worried afterwards.

“We had a few turnovers because we hesitated,” she said. “And he who hesitates is lost.”

Zellous had a game-high five turnovers, but countered with 11 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and a game-high three blocks.

The Panthers will now travel to Milwaukee to take on Big East Conference foe Marquette in the WNIT Final Four. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.