Selwyn helps Pitt upset Penn State

The women’s basketball team kept busy over winter break with six games on their schedule…. The women’s basketball team kept busy over winter break with six games on their schedule. Senior guard Laine Selwyn led her team to a 4-2 record during the stretch, including an upset of ranked rival Penn State and a heartbreaking conference opener loss at Seton Hall.

Pitt (8-4 overall, 0-1 in the Big East) also continued their perfection in their inaugural season at the Petersen Events Center by winning all four games at home during the break, extending the Panthers’ winning streak to six games in the new facility.

Pitt 92, Penn State 88 (OT)

Selwyn kicked off the break by sending Pitt into overtime against the then-No. 11 Penn State. Selwyn made a pair of foul shots with one second remaining in regulation to tie the score at 78.

After leading 44-38 at halftime, Pitt was outscored 40-34 in the second half. However, Penn State made it easier on the Panthers, only shooting 37-percent from the field.

Overtime was a toss-up as there were four ties and six lead changes in the extra five minutes before Sheila Stufflet completed a three-point play to put the Panthers ahead for good.

Pitt displayed its efficiency from the foul line as it shot 88-percent from the charity stripe. Selwyn was 12-of-13 and Brooke Stewart made seven-of-eight from the line. Stewart totaled 18 points in the contest.

Selwyn attained a double double in the victory, scoring a season-best 26 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. She also chipped in five assists and three steals.

Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante led all scorers with 36 points while grabbing eight boards. Teammate Tanisha Wright added 28 points.

Pitt 78, Eastern Kentucky 68

Selwyn, while leading the Panthers to victory once again, reached a personal plateau in her collegiate basketball career, becoming only the 10th player in Panther history to reach the 1,000-point level.

Posting 21 points on the night, Selwyn also added eight assists, seven rebounds, and went six-of-six from the free-throw line.

Despite a 17-4 run, and following spurt, which placed the Panthers ahead by 10 points with under four minutes to go, Eastern Kentucky mounted a comeback to pull within five points of the lead.

Pitt would go on to defeat the Lady Colonels after outscoring them 6-1 in the final two minutes of regulation. Free throws were once again critical to the Panther victory as the team shot for 88 percent from the line.

Xavier 82, Pitt 65

After an opening bucket, the Panthers fell behind Xavier 18-2 early in the opening half. They never regained the lead and failed to get than 13 points.

Pitt got its hopes up after a strong 13-6 run against Xavier at the end of the first half, but could not fully retaliate against a strong offensive assault. Slick shooting put Xavier ahead by as many as 27 points in the second half.

Amy Waugh finished with 22 points for Xavier, including five-of-11 from behind the three-point line.

Once again, Pitt mounted a comeback, going on a 16-6 run led by Jessica Allen’s three three-pointers. However, Allen’s shooting ability was not enough to give the Panthers the lead, halting Pitt’s three-game winning streak.

Dallas Williams had seven rebounds and eight points for Pitt, while Selwyn and Stewart combined for 32 points.

Pitt 104, Norfolk State 78

Despite an eight-day holiday break, the Panthers routed Norfolk State at home, scoring at least 100 points for the second time this season.

The game started slowly, but picked up intensity toward the end of the opening half. After grabbing a late 24-point lead, Pitt headed to the locker room leading 57-36.

Haley Harguth sank four-of-five shots from behind the arc in the first half alone. Pitt’s three-point shooting and field goal percentages were near 60 percent for the opening half.

The Panthers handed the Spartans their seventh consecutive loss after leading by as much as 30 points in the final half and outrebounding Norfolk State, 41-36.

Four Panthers scored in double figures. Harguth and Williams each had 12 points while Wittenmyer posted 17.

Selwyn reached her second career triple double with 11 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the victory. Her strong performances for the week earned her the title of Big East Player of the Week on Dec. 30.

Pitt 94, Howard 75

Brooke Stewart, scoring a career-high 31 points, celebrated her New Year’s Eve by becoming the 11th player in Panther history to eclipse 1,000 points.

Stewart played all 40 minutes, sunk two three-point shots, made three steals, and added two assists in the victory.

Pitt led 44-38 at halftime and came out of the locker room hot, going on a 19-6 run, widening their lead 63-44.

But Howard was able to cut the lead back down to 10 points before Pitt answered. The Panthers led by as much as 22 points in the closing half, which led to a victory and Pitt’s best start since the 1994-1995 campaign.

Once again Pitt dominated on defense, with 41 rebounds to Howard’s 39. Wittenmyer pulled down 13 boards and also tallied 22 points to post her first double double of the season.

Four Howard players reached double figures and were lead by Courtney Kirk, who scored 18 points. Selwyn had another big night with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Seton Hall 59, Pitt 54

The Panthers closed their break off by venturing to South Orange, N.J., to battle the Pirates (6-4, 1-0) in their Big East Conference opener.

Pitt carried a 27-25 lead at the half, as Selwyn contributed 13 points.

But things didn’t work out for the Panthers down the stretch, who were outrebounded 35-30 and lost their touch from the line and in the paint at the most critical time.

Pitt had as much as an 11-point lead in the second half, but it dwindled down to only three points (51-48) with 4:14 remaining.

After the four-minute mark, the Panthers missed three-of-four free throws and only made one-of-five shots from the field. They were outscored 11-3, giving Seton Hall enough space to come back.

Monica Johnson scored five points in the final two minutes of regulation, which proved to be crucial for the Pirates. Johnson finished the game with 18 points.

Pitt shot just 37 percent from field goal range but managed a 74 percent free throw total. The Panthers were weak from three-point land, shooting just 23 percent from downtown.

Wittenmyer tallied 13 points for the Panthers while Selwyn finished with 21 points and five steals. After going seven-for-eight from the free-throw line, Selwyn leads the Big East in free-throw percentage with 91 percent.

Pitt now looks to retaliate from its first conference loss on Saturday when they battle Big East foe Providence at the Petersen Events Center.