Scarlet Knights too physical for Panthers inside

The Pitt women’s basketball team knew it would be in for a physical battle as it prepared… The Pitt women’s basketball team knew it would be in for a physical battle as it prepared to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. But as much as they tried to match up physically, the Lady Panthers just could not play the same rugged style of basketball that Rutgers brought to the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday.

Head coach Agnus Berenato’s biggest concern was that her players would be intimidated. She wanted to make sure that her team would be ready for a battle.

“I think Rutgers is one of the more physical teams we’ll face,” Berenato said. “I’ve watched an awful lot of film over the past three days, and I just knew it was going to be a slug fest. I just felt like, if we weren’t intimidated and we went up strong, then the officials were going to have to call fouls.”

Pitt was successful in getting to the free-throw line, shooting a total of 28 foul shots in the game. The problem was that, as a team, Pitt was outscored 34-12 in the paint. Points in the paint proved to be the difference as the Panthers did not have an answer for the size and strength of the Scarlet Knights.

Berenato is looking for her team to play a more physical style of basketball. Physical play is commonplace in the Big East Conference and, if the Panthers hope to be more competitive, they are going to have to play a more physical game.

“We have to get more physical,” Berenato said. “We have to get more mentally tough.”

Cappie Pondexter, one of the premier guards in the country, scored a team-high 21 points, had nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Despite those strong numbers, Berenato felt that her team did a good job keeping Pondexter in check.

“I thought we did a really nice job on [Pondexter],” Berenato said. “She truly is one of the best players in the nation. She had 21 points, but she worked for those 21 points.”

While Pondexter did put up numbers well above her season averages, Pitt did step up and play a more physical game.

The attitude and the intensity were there from start to finish. Pitt was hustling down the floor trying to score points even when there was no more than a handful of seconds left on the clock.

The Panthers just could not match up with the physical ability of the Scarlet Knights. The mental toughness that Berenato is looking for is starting to show up. But the size and strength and ability is still lacking.

Between being out-rebounded 38-29 and being dominated on the inside, Pitt still has a long way to go before it will be able to match up with some of the stronger Big East teams.