Panthers move to 10-3 as conference play heats up

After opening the Big East season with a win over Syracuse, the Pitt women’s basketball team… After opening the Big East season with a win over Syracuse, the Pitt women’s basketball team traveled to California over the break. The Panthers rallied to down Pepperdine before easily handling San Diego State, making junior guard Mallorie Winn’s return to California a success.

Pitt 79, Pepperdine 64

Winn and Marcedes Walker each scored more than 20 points to lead four Panthers in double digits as Pitt topped Pepperdine.

Winn led all scorers with 26 points, while Walker added 22 of her own. The two shot a combined 22-for-36 from the floor. Winn also recorded a game-high four assists.

Maddie Brown and Xenia Stewart joined the pair in double-figures. Stewart scored 10 points, while Brown continued to be a sniper from 3-point range, hitting two of her three attempts from beyond the arc.

Pepperdine held a five-point advantage, 32-27, with just over four minutes to play in the first half, but Pitt closed out the opening frame on a 9-2 run – one that featured six points from Winn – and took a 38-34 lead into the locker rooms.

In the second half, Pitt took over. Pepperdine closed the gap to 42-40, but Brown – who scored 11 of her points in the second half – helped Pitt pull away. The Panthers stretched their lead the entire period, extending their advantage to as many as 18.

Both teams rebounded well, with Pitt holding a slight advantage, 40-38. But the Panthers owned the inside on the offensive side of the ball, outscoring the Waves in the paint 32-18.

Jessica Ross led Pepperdine with 16 points, and Daphanie Kennedy added 15. The Waves started out hot from the floor, hitting 10 of their first 12 shots. But they quickly lost their touch, and they missed 34 of their last 47 shots to finish with a 39 percent shooting percentage for the night.

Pitt 78, San Diego State 56

Winn and Walker again led the way as the Panthers dropped San Diego State to improve to 9-2, their best start in more than a decade.

Walker dominated on both ends of the floor. She scored 20 points on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, she was a menace all night. When she wasn’t pulling down one of her game-high 15 rebounds, she was taking away one of her game-high six steals. In addition, she hit a 3 pointer, the first of her collegiate career.

Playing in her hometown of San Diego, Winn scored 22 points to lead all scorers. Though she shot only 6-of-17 from the floor, the junior hit three of her four 3-point attempts.

The Panthers never trailed in a game that saw them lead by as many as 26 points. The rout gives Pitt its best start since the 1994-95 squad opened their campaign 11-2.

Michelle Strawberry led the Aztecs with 16 points, but had little help on offense. Center Desiree Johnson chipped in with 10 points, but her playing time was limited by foul trouble. She only managed to pull down three rebounds.

The Panthers took advantage of SDSU’s inside struggles, winning the rebounding battle, 45-27. Of those 45, 21 came on the offensive boards. Pitt outscored the Aztecs 27-1 in second-chance points.

Maddie Brown tallied five of the offensive rebounds. In just 17 minutes of action, she dropped seven points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.

Editor’s Note: Pitt also topped St. Bonaventure over the break, but No. 11 DePaul snapped the Panthers’ five-game winning streak three days later. Pitt (10-3 overall, 1-1 Big East) will resume action Sunday when South Florida comes to the Petersen for a 2 p.m. contest.