Pitt ventures into the Storm

Riding high off the momentum of a last-second win against South Florida on Sunday, the Pitt… Riding high off the momentum of a last-second win against South Florida on Sunday, the Pitt women’s basketball team travels to their fourth Big East opponent to take on the St. John’s Red Storm in Queens, N.Y., tonight.

The Red Storm, however, has similar momentum, too. Coached by Kim Barnes Arico, St. John’s downed No. 12 Notre Dame in a thriller at home last week.

“I think [momentum] is all relative,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said. “That’s in the past, it’s history.”

Junior Mallorie Winn, who hit the two-pointer with three seconds to go to get the win over USF, is currently shooting 48 percent from behind the arc. To complement the sharp-shooting guard, sophomore Marcedes Walker leads the team with just over 17 points and 8 rebounds a game.

The biggest threat St. John’s has to offer the stifling Panther defense is junior forward Angela Clark. Clark averages a double-double so far this season, with 14.5 points and just over 10 rebounds per game, including 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting against the Irish.

“[Clark] has hurt us the last few years,” Berenato said. “I feel like basically St. John’s has the same team they’ve had the last two years, but now they’re juniors and seniors.”

To match Clark, the Panthers will look to Walker, who has established herself as one of the premiere inside forces in the Big East, let alone the country.

“We’ve got to box [Clark] out and keep her off the boards,” Walker said. “I think I need to rebound more and be more patient.”

“For us we have to limit them to one shot and rebound,” Berenato said. “We can’t go one and one with them.”

“They’re a great rebounding team,” Berenato said. “They like to push the ball.”

Offensively, the Panthers will need to elevate the speed of their play to expose a feisty Red Storm defense.

“They have a pretty tight press,” Winn said. “So we have to push the ball and get it up the court.” No. 11 DePaul, a game in which the Panthers led by as many as five points in the second half.

“I told the team when you’re on the road, you have to be up 10 [points] with two minutes to go, and then you have a chance to win,” Berenato said. “If you’re not, it’s really tough.”

The Pitt women’s program could be in the dawn of a new era. In her third year, Coach Berenato has the Panthers 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference, their best 14-game start in 25 years.

“I think our kids should be confident,” Berenato said.

There is a definite reason for the team to have an upbeat attitude. This season was the first time the team reached 10 wins in the month of December in the history of the program.

The game will be played in the Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Pitt’s next home contest is this Saturday against the Providence Friars .