Walker shines in women’s loss

In the midst of what may be the toughest part of any schedule in the country, Pitt’s women’s… In the midst of what may be the toughest part of any schedule in the country, Pitt’s women’s basketball team (11-8 overall, 3-5 Big East) dropped its second game in a row, losing 72-55 to No. 13 Boston College (15-3, 6-1) on Saturday afternoon.

Marcedes Walker was again the bright spot for the Panthers, leading all scorers with 20 points, as well as collecting seven rebounds. Aja Parham scored 18 points and Clare Droesch scored 17 for the Eagles.

“I’m listening to [the coaches] tell me to take it up strong, don’t try to take up soft stuff, because if I try to be soft, then I won’t be able to get that two points plus one,” Walker said.

She was four-of-six from the line in the game and, for the year, has made 58 of the team-high 93 free throw attempts.

Despite Walker’s offensive work inside, plus Jennifer Brown’s 16 points off the bench for the Panthers, Boston College was far too strong for Pitt, even without their best player and leading scorer, Jessalyn Deveny.

“I’ve seen a lot of video on them,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said, “and with Jess Deveny, they’re really, really good.”

The win moved Boston College into a three-way tie with Rutgers and Connecticut for first place in the conference.

“They lead the conference in shooting and scoring, and I don’t know, but I like their team a lot. I don’t know that they’re as physical as some of the other teams,” Berenato said of the Eagles’ chances in the Big East.

The Eagles wasted little time getting the edge over the Panthers, racing out to a 16-2 lead in the first seven minutes. Pitt pulled the lead back to nine on two occasions in the second half, but Boston College’s shooting (24-of-50) and defense (15 steals) never let the Panthers get close to stealing a victory.

“They got us out of our game plan, but we had picked it up toward the end [of the half], and I knew I had to bring a lot of energy on the floor for the second half,” Walker said.

“We had a lineup change early. Jennifer Brown didn’t start for us, I put Allisha Morris in instead of her, and I think that really threw us off kilter,” Berenato said.

Brown was held out of the starting lineup for violation of an undisclosed team rule, according to Berenato.

With Morris inserted into the starting lineup alongside guards Jessica Allen and Amy Kunich, Saturday’s game marked the first time all three seniors have started a game for Pitt.

The Panthers, having lost to No. 10 UConn earlier in the week, will have until 7 p.m. Wednesday to prepare for Villanova’s visit to the Petersen Events Center. The Wildcats have won on their last six visits to Pitt, dating back to 1996.