Pitt women unable to stop UConn

Taking on the reigning national champion and the current No. 1-ranked team in the country… Taking on the reigning national champion and the current No. 1-ranked team in the country is never easy, and Tuesday was no exception.

The Pitt Panthers women’s basketball team traveled to Hartford, Conn., with hopes of an upset and aspirations of still making the Big East tournament. Connecticut had other ideas.

The Huskies played a tightly contested game with the Panthers for the first seven minutes of the game, and led by a score of 17-13. That four-point spread would be as close as the Panthers would get. Connecticut began an 11-0 run over the next two minutes, stretching the lead to 28-13.

“[UConn head coach] Geno [Auriemma] called a timeout, and they picked it up a notch,” said Panther head coach Agnus Berenato. The Panthers had no answer for the run, eventually falling behind by 35 points at half time, 56-21.

“We decided to be not as aggressive and be very passive after that timeout. You can’t do that against UConn,” said Berenato. “You must be aggressive and attack them. We made too many extra passes.”

UConn shot 64 percent in the first half, going 21-of-33 from the field, while the Panthers offense went 9-for-20 from the field, shooting 45 percent.

The second half did not change the fortune of the Panthers. UConn continued to shoot well throughout the game and went 12-of-20 from three-point range, which tied the Huskies’ season high for threes made in a game.

That was not the only season high that UConn would achieve for the night. The Panthers had severe turnover problems throughout the game, finishing with 24 turnovers, and the Huskies capitalized by tying their season high in steals at 18.

“We had a string of turnovers that killed us,” said Berenato.

UConn continued to control the action and emptied its bench throughout the night, playing 11 people 10 or more minutes.

“Connecticut played everybody, and they were all in the flow. It might have been their best floor game of the year,” said Berenato.

The Huskies finished with four players in double figures and were led in scoring by Ashley Battle, who finished with 14 points. UConn team leader Diana Taurasi finished with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while only playing 22 minutes.

Although the Panthers never really were in the game after the 13-minute mark of the first half, there were a few positive signs.

“Kate Histed played great, and Stacey Moore was a big spark of the bench,” Berenato said. “I think Jennifer Brown played great too; once she got used to the environment, she was fine and made a few plays.”

Histed and Brown tied for the team high with 12 points each for the Panthers in the losing effort. Brown also added five rebounds and four blocks in her 29 minutes of play.

The Huskies put it on cruise control during the second half and finished with a 97-42 victory. The 55-point loss drops the Panthers to 6-17 overall, and 2-11 in the Big East. The Huskies’ victory improves their mark to 21-2 overall, and 11-1 in the Big East as they look to repeat as national champion.

“They are absolutely the best team in the country,” Berenato said. “This was a great experience in Connecticut, and [Pitt is] sold out for Saturday. I am glad our team got to play in a sold-out game, before ours this Saturday. Connecticut has what I want to build at Pitt.”

The Panthers host Notre Dame on Saturday and tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.