Women’s basketball wins Big East opener at Syracuse

Following a loss at Clemson on Dec. 11, the Pitt women’s basketball team had 16 days to decide… Following a loss at Clemson on Dec. 11, the Pitt women’s basketball team had 16 days to decide which team would show up to usher in the New Year the team that began a sizzling 6-0 or the team that followed with three straight losses.

With three wins in four games over the winter break, the Panthers (9-4 overall, 1-1 Big East) made it clear that they were bringing the first one.

Pitt 88, St. Francis (N.Y.) 62

Katie Histed brought the thunder for Pitt, dropping a career-best 24 points on the Terriers, including four 3-pointers. Three other Panthers joined her in double-digits, including Vika Sholokhova, who scored all 11 of her points in a second half that saw Pitt pull away from St. Francis.

After the first 20 minutes of play, the Panthers held a 40-32 advantage. But they came roaring out in the second half, beginning the final frame with a 21-4 run.

To go with its balanced scoring, Pitt added complete domination on the boards. They tallied a season-high 60 rebounds, led by Marcedes Walker’s 12.

Walker also chipped in 19 points for the double-double. The freshman’s consistent contributions are exactly what head coach Agnus Berenato looks for from her center.

“We brought her here to do that,” Berenato said. “We expect the double-double.”

Amy Kunich also had a strong game, narrowly missing a triple-double. She scored nine points, dished out nine assists and tied her personal record by grabbing eight rebounds.

Pitt 58, Fordham 51

Histed again led the Panthers in scoring, with 17 points against the Rams, to spark her team to its second straight victory. However, the night belonged to Pitt’s Jennifer Brown.

Brown recorded her third double-double of the season, tallying a game-high 13 rebounds to go with her 10 points. Cheron Taylor and Walker joined Histed and Brown in double-digit scoring, adding 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Kunich contributed only one point, but her five assists on the night gave her 303 for her career. She became just the eighth player in school history to record at least 300 assists.

The game featured a close first half, with Pitt leading 35-34 at the break. The final 20 minutes saw both teams buckle down on defense, and the shooting percentages for both teams plummeted as a result.

The big difference came in the free-throw column. The Panthers shot 11 for 17 from the line, while their clean defense kept the Rams from attempting a single foul shot in the second half.

Pitt 63, Syracuse 57

Pitt hadn’t won at Syracuse since 1994, and for much of the game it looked like the losing streak would continue, as Syracuse led the Panthers by as many as 10 in the second half. But they showed their resilience, finishing the game on a 31-15 run for their first win in a Big East opener in six years.

Walker continued her stellar rookie campaign, posting 20 points on top of a season-best 19 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year. Sixteen of her points and 12 of her rebounds came in the second half.

Pitt trailed 42-32 with 13:34 to play, but chipped away at the lead, getting it down to a 4-point game, which, according to Berenato, was the most critical moment.

“Against Duquesne and Clemson, we got it to four,” she explained, “but we couldn’t break the barrier.”

It seemed that the same would happen at Syracuse, as Pitt’s next possession saw a turnover, but after a Pitt timeout, Histed sank a 3-pointer and the Panthers went on to take the lead, and eventually the win.

The game was Berenato’s 298th career victory, but don’t look for her to celebrate once she reaches the 300-win plateau.

“I don’t care about 300, 400 or 500,” she said. “I’m going to be here a lot longer than that.” She emphasized that she has goals and visions for the program and its success, and explained that personal accomplishments need to take a backseat to the bigger idea of building a national championship-caliber program.

St. John’s 60, Pitt 57

Playing their fourth game in eight days, the Panthers went basket-for-basket with the Red Storm, but fell just short of knocking off their Big East foe.

Walker chalked up 20 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing the double-double in the loss. She also went four-for-nine from the foul line on a night that saw the team shoot a mere 50 percent at the line.

During the first half, neither team could pull away from the other after establishing a lead. St. John’s used a 10-1 run to take a 14-9 lead midway through the half, but Pitt slowly chipped away at the score, taking a 29-27 lead at halftime.

The Red Storm tied the game at 34 early in the second half, but after Brown took a charge from Kia Wright, Walker hit two free throws to put Pitt ahead. The Panthers stayed on top until St. John’s reclaimed the lead with under two minutes left in the game.

Berenato was very disappointed with the end result.

“This is a good St. John’s team, but you didn’t see it tonight,” she said. “We did a phenomenal job taking [their physical play] out of the game. We were the better team tonight.”

The Panthers will look to prove they are the better team when they travel to Rutgers next Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against the Scarlet Knights.