Winn’s big night leads Panthers

For a player who professes to be quiet, junior guard Mallorie Winn made a lot of noise in her… For a player who professes to be quiet, junior guard Mallorie Winn made a lot of noise in her Pitt debut Friday at the Petersen Events Center.

Winn, a transfer from Georgia Tech, notched a triple-double – 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists – as the Pitt women’s basketball team won an exhibition game against California (Pa.), 84-48.

“I felt Mallorie took charge,” head coach Agnus Berenato, who recruited Winn when she coached at Georgia Tech, said. “We were shocked.

“I have only coached two other players, in 23 years, who had a triple-double. That’s a phenomenal feat.”

NCAA transfer rules forced Winn, who also recorded a steal and two blocks, to sit out last season, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t work on her game during her down time. Winn credits a lot of watch she leaned to Amy Kunich, Pitt’s senior point guard last season.

“I think I learned a lot about being a point guard and some of my weakness,” Winn said. “Like not being the most vocal person on the court-it’s a little hard for me to be vocal and tell people where to go all the time.”

The Panthers jumped out to an early 13-3 lead behind nine quick points from freshman Maddy Brown, the last two coming on a baseline jumper assisted by Winn. Brown finished with 19 points, making 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) shots from the field including 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc.

“I thought Xenia Stewart and Maddy Brown, our freshmen, really came to play,” Berenato said. “I thought [Brown] was tremendous offensively.”

By scoring 13 points to go along with nine rebounds, Stewart was one of three Pitt newcomers to score in double figures.

Pitt opened the second half strong, extending a 41-30 halftime lead to 71-38 by way of a 30-8 run that included two 3-pointers by Brown, both assisted by Winn.

In all, Pitt saw five newcomers take the court. Together, they scored 60 points, 26 rebounds and 16 assists. However, the new faces didn’t overshadow last year’s leading scorer, Marcedes Walker.

With 10:26 remaining in the second half, Winn pulled down a defensive rebound and sent a long outlet pass to Brown, who quickly passed to Walker in the paint for a fast-break layup and a 66-38 Pitt lead.

Walker, a preseason All-Big East selection, scored 14 points to go along with three rounds. Last season she led the conference with 9.1 rebounds per game.

The Panthers finished with a 41-31 rebounding advantage, largely because of Winn’s game high.

“In the first half she had six rebounds,” Berenato said. “For a point guard, that’s really nice versatility.”

But grabbing rebounds isn’t Winn’s focus.

“My main goal is scoring, passing and giving assists,” she explained. “Rebounding just happened to come tonight.”

Pitt’s defense held Cal to 17-of-58 (29.3 percent) shooting from the field, and allowed only one player, guard Megan Storck, to reach double-digit scoring. Storck finished with 13 points.

The Panthers made 30 of their 59 shots (50.8 percent), shot 4-for-9 (44.4) from beyond the arc and made 21-of-26 from the free-throw line.

The Panthers played without forward Vika Sholokhova and redshirt freshman Shavonte Zellous, who were out with injuries, but according to Berenato, both are expected back soon. Sholokhova is expected to be a starting forward for the Panthers, while Zellous will compete for a starting spot in a deep Pitt back court.

Cal, a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, ranked No. 12 in the USA Today/ESPN NCAA division II preseason national rankings. In 2004 the Vulcans won the NCAA Division II National Championship.

The Panthers play their final exhibition game tonight again the OGBM Legends, and open regular season play Friday night in Vermont against William ‘ Mary as a part of the Banknorth Classic.