Women’s Basketball: Pitt’s late surge falls short, Panthers stuck in ACC’s basement

North Carolina State’s Markeisha Gatling and Len’Nique Brown didn’t let up in the second half against Pitt. The Panthers might hold a lowly record, but they proved they wouldn’t go down quietly on Thursday night.

If it weren’t for Brown and Gatling — who scored 12 and 11 points in the second half, respectively — the Panthers might have completed the comeback.

Instead, the Pitt women’s basketball team fell 79-68 to No. 13 North Carolina State in its final home game of the season at the Petersen Events Center. 

The Panthers trailed by as many as 24 points before a furious comeback attempt toward the end of the game cut the deficit. In the end, though, the Panthers were no match for the Wolfpack (24-5, 11-4 ACC) and their post game — senior center Gatling, in particular — as Pitt was outscored in the paint by a margin of 38-20.

“We knew we had our hands full with their post players in Gatling and [Kody] Burke,” Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. “But it was kind of pick your poison tonight, because their guards started hitting their shots, and [Gatling] was unstoppable.”

McConnell-Serio’s description of Gatling was not too far from the truth, as the 6-foot-5 center — who has been named to the Naismith National Player of the Year Top 30 list and is a strong candidate for ACC Player of the Year — had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Brown finished with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting and made all seven free-throw attempts, including six in the final 90 seconds.

The Panthers (11-18, 3-12 ACC) began the game holding their own and actually held a 15-13 lead with 13:19 remaining, but as McConnell-Serio said, they were simply unable to contain Gatling.

The Panthers were led by freshman Chelsea Welch, who posted a season-high 16 points to go along with three rebounds and an assist off the bench. Junior guard Brianna Kiesel had an off game offensively, shooting 2-of-10 from the field while tallying 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Kiesel played all 40 minutes of the game.

Sophomore guard Brittany Gordon, also coming off the bench, reached double figures for the first time this season with 12 points. McConnell-Serio had nothing but praise for her young guard in her postgame press-conference.

“I am so excited for Brittany Gordon,” McConnell-Serio, who has already improved on Pitt’s conference and overall record in her first year as coach, said. “I have been calling her the ‘All-American practice player’ all year, and she was finally able to transfer what she was doing in practice to in games.”

The game marked the final appearance at the Petersen Events Center for the trio of Pitt seniors: Asia Logan, Ashlee Anderson and Marquel Davis. 

Welch, who recorded only her second double-digit output of the season, said she is sad to see them go.

“This is my first year here, and the seniors have definitely made me feel like I’m home,” the freshman from Kettering, Ohio, said. “They’ve always had my back, and I have their back.”

Although the result wasn’t what the team wanted for its veteran leaders, McConnell-Serio highlighted the seniors’ positive impact.

“We talked about sending our seniors out on a positive note,” McConnell-Serio added. “I don’t know if it’s the type of way they wanted their careers to end at the Petersen Events Center, but they really set the tone for our team this year.”

The last-place Panthers will wrap up their inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference Sunday afternoon in south Florida, taking on the Miami Hurricanes in South Beach, Fla.

Despite the loss, McConnell-Serio believes that the team will be feeling good traveling south, particularly after the notable performances by the underclassmen Welch and Gordon.

“There’s no fear in our underclassmen,” McConnell-Serio said. “They just go out and they play, and they do what they’re capable of doing.”