Panthers use three-pointers to defeat Furman

The outside shooting by Pitt’s women’s basketball team has left opponents ducking from the… The outside shooting by Pitt’s women’s basketball team has left opponents ducking from the barrage of three-pointers the Panthers used to abuse their opponents.

The Panthers have thus far enjoyed great success this season and last night was no exception as they dismantled the visiting Furman Lady Paladins by a score of 75-45, raising their season record to 2-0, while the loss drops Furman to 1-1.

Leading the way for the Panthers was senior guard Brooke Stewart, who netted 19 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out two assists. Also contributing a solid game was Amy Kunich, who scored 10 points and had six assists.

“I’m very proud of our girls, they came out and gave a great effort and played hard,” head coach Traci Waites said. “Tonight we beat a team that has posted over a hundred points twice this season in exhibition games.”

Since the beginning of the season, Pitt has knocked down 18 three-pointers which as a team has them shooting just less than 50 percent for the season, and because of this outpouring of outside shooting, Pitt’s opponents have been left defenseless as Pitt’s average margin of victory has been by 34.5 points.

“Being able to shoot from the outside has really opened things up for us offensively,” Kunich said.

Guided by solid guard play, the Panthers have a unique system that has granted them the luxury of wide-open looks from the outside, which is caused in part by the lane penetrating abilities of Laine Selwyn and Kunich, the sharp-shooting trio of Stewart, Haley Harguth and Shavon Earp have thrived.

“We came in here tonight expecting Pitt to hit their outside shots because they have a team full of tremendous shooters,” Furman head coach Sam Dixon said. “It all starts with Selwyn. She creates the outside shooting with her speed and ability to find the open shooter.”

During the first half, Pitt’s offense ran out of the blocks posting a comfortable 30 to seven lead with just less than 11 minutes to go until the break. The Panthers’ defense also was having their way with the Lady Paladins as they caused 11 first half turnovers and pulled down 15 defensive rebounds.

As the half drew near, Pitt found itself extending its lead to 23, as Pitt held the advantage at the half 42-19. The Panthers in the first half netted nine three-pointers, which translated into a first half three-point shooting exhibition of 64.3 percent and a 53.3 percent shooting performance from the field.

“Our shooting has given us a lot of confidence and hopefully we can use that to get these next two games and come home to take on Penn State in front of excited fans,” Stewart said. ” That’s the kind of game that we really want.”

Opening up in the second half, Furman tried using a full court press to slow down the Panthers, which it did for a while until Pitt used its speed to run through the press of the Lady Paladins. Furman then was forced to use the foul line to stay in the game and in doing so gave several Panther players a spot on the bench in foul trouble. The Lady Paladins were awarded 22 free throws for the game which they only converted 13.

The style of play in the second half was very aggressive but sloppy as each team continued to turn the ball over. For the game, both teams committed 50 turnovers, 26 of which belonged to the Panthers.

“Obviously we weren’t happy with our turnovers, but we are playing very hard and I am really pleased with our effort,” Waites said. “Our three-point shooting was fantastic tonight.”

In the end, the aggressive Panthers were entirely too much for Furman as they outrebounded them 49-41 and held them to a 25 percent shooting performance from the field.

“It’s always difficult to come in and play teams from major conferences because they are usually taller, stronger and faster,” Dixon said. “Their senior leadership will really help them this season.”

The Panthers return to action Wednesday night as they travel to St. Francis.