Women’s hoops fries Fightin’ Hens

The postseason for Pitt basketball isn’t over yet.

Pitt women’s basketball captured its 20th… The postseason for Pitt basketball isn’t over yet.

Pitt women’s basketball captured its 20th win of the season Saturday with its 64-57 victory over the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in the first round of the Women’s NIT.

The Panthers (20-10) used superior guard play and airtight defense to earn their first win in the postseason since 1994.

Senior guard Mallorie Winn led the way for Pitt, scoring 17 points while pulling in eight rebounds and dishing three assists.

Despite shooting just 38.6 percent, Pitt controlled the game with stifling defense and a significant height advantage. The Panthers never trailed.

Delaware shot just 33 percent for the game as Pitt won the battle on the boards, 43-38. The Panthers also blocked 10 shots while hounding the proverbial cookie jar for five steals.

The Fightin’ Blue Hens’ guard tandem of Tyresa Smith and Melissa Czorniewy combined for 36 points and 16 rebounds. The five other players logging minutes for Delaware scored just 21 points on 8-for-30 shooting.

Junior forward Danielle Taylor provided a much-needed spark off the bench for the Panthers, adding 12 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes.

All-Big East center Marcedes Walker just missed a double-double, pulling in 10 rebounds while scoring nine points. Walker also blocked four shots.

Panther guard Shavonte Zellous contributed 11 points and four rebounds. The redshirt freshman earned her hustle points, distributing three assists while swatting four Delaware shots.

The Panthers dominated the paint, scoring 24 points in the lane while tallying 18 second-chance points thanks 14 offensive rebounds.

The next game for Pitt is Wednesday against the SEC’s Mississippi Rebels at the Fitzgerald Field House.

The Rebels march into Pittsburgh riding high after downing Kansas in the first round of the NIT, 78-76, in a thriller.

Ole Miss (17-13) won its third game in its last four contests, with junior guard Armintie Price leading the rowdy renegades. The Mississippi native averages 17.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Mississippi erased a 16-point deficit, thanks in part to Price’s 31 points, to win their first postseason game since 1994.

With the win, Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross picked up her 300th career victory. Her Rebels started 9-1, only to fall into mediocrity, finishing 8-12 in their final 20 contests.

Similar to Pitt, Ole Miss rebounds well. The Rebels use their quick guards and some big bodies to clear the paint and collect boards.

Mississippi is not, however, a very good shooting team. The Rebels have averaged just 39 percent shooting in their first 30 games, including 30 percent from 3-point land.

Against Pitt’s regular foes Rutgers and Villanova, Ole Miss finished 1-1, beating Rutgers by 10 while dropping an 11-point loss to Villanova.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.