Pitt loses in cross-town rivalry

In a game that put City of Pittsburgh bragging rights on the line, Pitt’s Women’s basketball… In a game that put City of Pittsburgh bragging rights on the line, Pitt’s Women’s basketball team would be very proud of their play in the second half Wednesday night against Duquesne. However, the first half was a different story.

Despite the fact that the Panthers outscored the Dukes 52-38 in the second half, behind career highs from forward Latoya Kincaid, who had 25 points, and guards Amy Kunich, who scored 21 points, and Katie Histed, who tallied 16 points and five assists, Duquesne held on for a 92-80 victory, its fourth in the last five meetings against the Panthers.

Head Coach Agnus Berenato was very disappointed in her team’s play in the first half but was extremely encouraged by the effort in the second half. Following the contest, she admitted to maybe putting a little bit too much pressure on the fact that this was a “city rival” game.

“I really felt like there was a lot of pride at stake”, Berenato said. “I felt like we were prepared, but I still have tremendous hope, and we will come back at it tomorrow.”

Candace Futrell, who came in averaging more than 20 points per game for Duquesne, poured in 25 points on the strength 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range to help the Dukes even their record at 3-3 and snap their three-game losing streak – after starting the season with two straight wins.

Even though Pitt seemed to be blown away in the first half, it regrouped in the locker room and came out playing its game in the second half. Both Kincaid and Kunich felt the need to step up and score in order to get their team back in the game.

“We didn’t give up. We will be ready next time. I needed to step up and be a leader,” Kincaid said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Kunich, who came into the game leading the Big East Conference in assists per game, with seven, showed off her ability to score in bunches, including five three-pointers.

“I was feeling it a lot tonight. I hit my first shot, and that is something that I always like to do,” Kunich said. “We needed to score, and that’s what I needed to do. As a team, we started to get some confidence in ourselves in the second half, and that’s what we needed to do.”

The Dukes shot 69 percent from the field and 80 percent from beyond the arc in the first half to build a 54-28 lead at the break and led by as many as 28 points at two different points in the game. For the game, they shot a Petersen Events Center-high 61 percent from the field and 71 percent from three-point range.

Pitt freshman Jennifer Brown added a career-high nine rebounds in the loss. The Panthers are next in action against Hartford at the Petersen Events Center – tip-off is set for 6:15 p.m.