Women’s Basketball: Pitt exudes confidence prior to matchup with No. 2 Notre Dame

Outsiders expect junior point guard Brianna Kiesel and her teammates to lose to Notre Dame tonight.

Even an onlooker who non-committedly follows women’s college basketball would say the Fighting Irish should win tonight’s game handily.

But ahead of the matchup, the Panthers (9-8, 1-2 ACC) are exuding confidence that they can stick with a No. 2 Notre Dame (15-0, 3-0 ACC) squad that is beating opponents by an average of more than 28 points.

“If Virginia can stay with them, anyone can stay with them,” Kiesel said. “They are good players, but they do the same things we do: put the jerseys on, put the shoes on, same things we do. Only thing is we have to out-work them.”

Less than a year ago, the Fighting Irish came to the Petersen Events Center ranked second in the nation and left with a 73-45 victory. Tonight, they return with the same rank and no losses in their first season competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But Pitt’s confidence is certainly earned, as it enters the game having won two of its last four contests, including victories over crosstown rival Duquesne and a four-point victory over ACC foe Virginia.

Pitt’s win over Virginia was significant in multiple ways, as the Panthers snapped an almost three-year-long conference losing streak dating back to Feb. 15, 2011. The Fighting Irish played their last game at Virginia, which resulted in a 7-point, 79-72 Notre Dame victory.

In the teams’ shared history against Virginia, Pitt finds a spot of confidence as it prepares for the conference’s best team. 

“That is what we talk about,” head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. “We don’t have any pressure on us. No game in the ACC do we have pressure on us because everybody has picked us last. So we approach and prepare for every team the same. We go out and just compete.”

Notre Dame’s trio of stars did most of the scoring on Sunday in its win at Virginia. Senior forward Natalie Achonwa and senior guard Kayla McBride had 26 and 23 points, respectively, and sophomore guard Jewell Loyd contributed 17 points.

The 6-foot-3-inch Achonwa also posted 16 rebounds Sunday in Charlottesville, Va., and will undoubtedly present a matchup problem for Pitt, who will counter with the more perimeter-based senior forward Asia Logan.

“I have to be prepared for a very skilled and big post player,” Logan said. “Just have to try to keep her off the block and always be aware of where she is on the floor.”

Achonwa is just one of the weapons at the disposal of Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw. Her team has posted more than 90 points in nine of the 15 games they have played.

McBride, an Erie, Pa., native, was selected by ESPN as a Second Team preseason All-American. Described as being, “the best mid-range shooter in the college game” by ESPN’s Graham Hays, McBride led the Irish in scoring with 19 points when they visited the Petersen Events Center last season and will challenge teams throughout her final college season.

Pitt’s coach understands the threat to her team.

“[McBride] is just so talented,” McConnell-Serio said. “She exploits you in so many different ways. You appreciate what she brings to the game. We have to make sure we have good help on defense. But the thing about their team is you can’t just key in on one player, because all of them can step up and hit big shots.”

McConnell-Serio recognizes the difficulty of the Panthers’ task and set some tempered expectations ahead of the game on Thursday night.

“When you are talking about the No. 2 team in the country, and with where we are, we just want to come out and compete,” McConnell-Serio said. “We don’t want to not show up and get blown out. It will be good to see where we are and gauge how we are coming along.”