Women’s basketball season ends in blowout loss to No. 21 Miami

One game after Pitt earned its first ACC tournament win by sticking it to the Tar Heels, the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes blew the Panthers away.

After a rough second quarter, Pitt fell hard in the second round of the ACC Tournament, losing to the Hurricanes 77-55 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The loss in all likelihood ends Pitt’s season, as its subpar record won’t likely earn it any postseason berths.

The Panthers got on the board first, as Yacine Diop fired a pass into the paint to Stasha Carey, who laid it in to give Pitt a 2-0 lead.

Miami would knot it up on the next possession, and the teams traded baskets for the next few possessions, as a couple jumpers by Diop kept Pitt even with the Hurricanes at six.

A gliding layup by Carey gave Pitt an early 8-6 lead, but Miami went on an 8-0 run, giving the Hurricanes a two-possession advantage in the first quarter.

The Panthers ended the quarter only making one of their final seven shots and suffering a scoring drought of more than two minutes. But thanks to some strong defense during that span in which it forced three turnovers, Pitt only trailed 18-12 at the first break.

Michelle Woods opened the scoring in the second quarter, driving to the basket and converting on a layup to give the Hurricanes a 20-12 advantage.

But, with the shot clock at two, Pitt gained some momentum, as Aysia Bugg banked in a three from the inbound to decrease the Miami advantage to five.

Pitt would get as close as three after Bugg converted another jumper, but the Hurricanes went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to double-figures, as the Panthers trailed 27-17.

That advantage grew to 38-19, as Pitt simply failed to find any open shots. The team only made three of its final 14 shots of the quarter, and nearly went the last five minutes of the period without a field goal until Brenna Wise arced a jumper in with four seconds remaining in the half.

Pitt clawed back, going on an 11-5 run to start the third, cutting the Miami lead to 13.

But Jessica Thomas drained a three to end that run, serving as an early dagger.

A three by Adrienne Motley gave Miami its first 20-point advantage. They finished the third quarter leading Pitt 57-40.

Pitt fought to chip away at the Hurricane lead, decreasing the advantage to as little as 11. But Miami’s skill and experience proved insurmountable for the young Panther team.

The Hurricanes busted the game open toward the end of the game, finishing the contest on a 9-0 run, ending the game with a 22-point lead.

Wise and Diop led Pitt offensively, both tallying 17 points. Wise hauled in six boards, while Diop tallied three rebounds and three assists.

Motley and Keyona Hayes proved too much to handle for Pitt, though, as the duo put up 19 and 18 points, respectively. Miami had five players total in double figures.

With the Panthers’ season likely over, head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio’s team will finish the year at 13-18 on the season.

With nine of the 12 players on the roster freshmen or sophomores, the team will feature many familiar faces next season, including its entire starting lineup.