Huskies to test the Pete

The Pitt women’s basketball team will be quite happy to see the Petersen Events Center… The Pitt women’s basketball team will be quite happy to see the Petersen Events Center Saturday afternoon when the Connecticut Huskies come to town.

The Panthers (12-5 overall, 3-3 overall) are 3-0 in Big East play when they play at home, but are 0-3 when they play on the road. The Huskies (16-2, 5-0), who are annually one of the nation’s top teams, are ranked No. 5 in the country and are coming off a huge upset of previously unbeaten LSU on Monday.

“Connecticut is a premier program, and it is always exciting to go ahead and play them and challenge to change yourself to beat them,” Panther head coach Agnus Berenato said.

A year ago, the Panthers dropped two decisions to the Huskies by a combined total of 84 points, but this year’s Panther team is vastly improved. The Panthers won seven of their first eight games and have received tremendous contributions from both new and old faces.

The Huskies will get their first look at a pair of big contributors playing their first season with the Panthers. Guard Mallorie Winn, playing in her first season with the Panthers after transferring from Georgia Tech, is second on the team in scoring, averaging more than 15 points per game. Meanwhile, freshman Xenia Stewart is averaging more than 10 points and five rebounds per game as a starter and has already been named Big East Rookie of the Week.

Another pair of new guards are contributing as well for the Panthers and will be new to the Huskies and head coach Geno Auriemma. Maddy Brown has started half of the Panthers’ games and has come off the bench in the rest to score eight points per game and clock more than 24 minutes. Shavonte Zellous is also starting some games and coming off the bench in others to average six points and five rebounds.

Berenato hopes that the new contributors and the advantage of playing at home will give the Panthers the edge towards a victory on Saturday.

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” Berenato said. “The Pitt fans have really responded this year. I have been really pleased with our crowds this year, and we are comfortable on our home court and we really have an identity on our home court.”

While the Panthers are still finding their groove, the Huskies have obviously settled into theirs. The win over then-No. 3 LSU meant that the Huskies have won 10 of 11. Their only two losses on the season have come to teams inside the top 10, No. 1 Tennessee and North Carolina.

The Huskies are 5-0 in the conference and are atop the Big East standings and will boast a few All-American candidates at the end of the season. Three Huskies are scoring in double digits with guard Ann Strother leading the way. Strother is averaging more than 15 points per game, while Mel Thomas is adding 14.2 points and Charde Houston 11.1 points.

There is no doubt in Berenato’s mind that the Huskies will provide possibly the biggest challenge of the season, but she doesn’t believe it’s impossible.

“I think it will be a great game and we can compete and we are going to give it our best shot, but again it is just another competition,” Berenato said. “When building a program, if you can continue to cut your losses, eventually you will win. Of course we will go out and try to win, you try to do that every time.”

The Panthers and Huskies get underway at 2 p.m. on Saturday.