Women’s basketball falls to No. 18 Duke, 58-46
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
January 28, 2018
With more than 2,000 fans in a sea of pink in support of a cure for breast cancer, the Pitt women’s basketball team fell 58-46 to No. 18 Duke in the 11th annual Pink the Peterson game. “It’s fun when you have all those people there. And today it was bigger because it wasn’t just for us, it was...
Pitt unlucky against Irish, 87-53
By Adin Link | Staff Writer
January 26, 2018
The Pitt women’s basketball team continued its recent streak of blowout losses Thursday night as the Panthers fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 87-53. The Panthers (9-12 overall, 1-7 ACC) came into the game after two losses of more than 15 points against Syracuse and No. 4 Louisville. The No. ...
Wisconsin badgers Pitt women’s basketball to win 58-57
By Grant Burgman | Staff Writer
November 29, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team had a last-second chance to win its Wednesday night game against Wisconsin, but when the ball ricocheted off the rim as time expired, it was the Badgers who stood victorious. The team entered Wednesday’s game on a three-game winning streak with its previous lo...
Panthers trounce Tigers by double digits, 81-63
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
November 20, 2017
The Pitt Women’s basketball team came back after a loss to Duquesne in the City Game last week, trouncing the Towson Tigers by double digits, 81-63. The Panthers (3-1) took on the Tigers (0-3) at home to earn their best win of the season so far. Unlike previous games — where the team struggled to get an...
Forget the Pete, hit the street: Pitt to play at Cathedral
By Abbot Zuk | Staff Writer
October 12, 2017
The Pitt basketball teams are leaving the Pete behind Friday night, but for this spectacle they’re not travelling far. Migrating from upper campus to Bigelow Boulevard, the Panthers will be putting all of their skills on display under the lights outside the Cathedral of Learning. The men’s an...
Pitt women’s basketball signs Kyla Nelson for upcoming season
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Assistant Sports Editor
April 24, 2017
Coming off a month in which player after player has fled Pitt’s basketball programs, the women’s team got a commitment from a premier international player on Monday. The Pitt women’s basketball team announced it signed 5-foot 11 inch combo guard Kyla Nelson for the upcoming season. Nelson is from Wo...
Women’s basketball renews Backyard Brawl
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
April 20, 2017
The Backyard Brawl is returning to yet another sport — women’s basketball. Pitt announced in a press release Thursday afternoon that its rivalry with the West Virginia University women’s basketball program will resume Dec. 7, in Morgantown, West Virginia. The rivalry — which has been dormant for fiv...
No. 20 Syracuse sinks Pitt on Senior Day, 73-57
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
February 27, 2017
Fans packed the Petersen Events Center for the 10th annual “Pink the Petersen” game for breast cancer awareness Sunday, but the support wasn’t enough to get the Panthers a win. The Pitt women’s basketball team (13-16 overall, 4-12 ACC) lost its final regular season game to the No. 20 Syracuse Or...
A Family Affair: McConnells maintain tradition
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
February 24, 2017
With her mom and aunt watching from the sidelines in the third quarter of a late November blowout against Slippery Rock University, Pitt sophomore guard Madison Serio drained the first 3-pointer of her college career. Late in the fourth quarter, she buried her second long-range attempt. When she naile...
Wise drops career-high 31 on Hokies to lead Panthers to 72-64 win
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
February 17, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team snapped its six-game losing streak Thursday night, and it might not have happened without sophomore forward Brenna Wise breaking a program record. Wise tallied a career-high 31 points — including 25 in the second half — while shooting a perfect 13-for-13 from the ...
Pitt women fall to the No. 14 Blue Devils, 62-48
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
February 13, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team’s once-promising season has lost direction and postseason hopes have diminished, as the Panthers seem destined for their sixth losing season in seven years. The Panthers (12-13 overall, 3-9 ACC) fell to another ranked opponent Sunday, losing to the No. 14 Duke...
Pitt women’s basketball team drops fifth straight vs. Clemson, 54-46
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
February 10, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team continued its trend of playing well in the first half of games and failing to perform in the second half in yet another loss Thursday night. Returning to the Petersen Events Center after a two-game road trip, the Panthers (12-12 overall, 3-8 ACC) fell to the Clemson T...
Brianna Kiesel signs multi-year contract with WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
February 3, 2017
Former Panthers point guard Brianna Kiesel, one of the most decorated players in Pitt women’s basketball history, is back in the WNBA. Kiesel signed a multi-year contract Thursday with the Atlanta Dream, but the team did not disclose the terms of the agreement. Keisel, who graduated from Pitt i...
Panthers falter late against No. 9 Louisville, lose 63-48
By Kevin Bertha | For The Pitt News
January 29, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team has tested some of the best teams in the ACC like Louisville and N.C. State, only to give up the lead toward the end of the game and walk off in defeat. Sunday afternoon, the Panthers once again battled against the best but ultimately came up short. Pitt gave the No. 9 Louis...
Panthers riding momentum into Raleigh vs. No. 18 NC State
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
January 26, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team’s showdown with the Virginia Cavaliers Sunday afternoon was set up to be a turning point for the Panthers’ season, win or lose. In a battle of teams with identical 2-3 records in the ACC, the winner would move to 3-3 in conference play and rise to the middle...
Wise, Panthers hold off Hoos, 62-54
By Bayard Miller | Assistant Sports Editor
January 23, 2017
At the beginning of the season, pundits and coaches picked the Pitt women’s basketball team to be one of the worst in the ACC. But after Sunday afternoon’s back-and-forth 62-54 win over Virginia at the Petersen Events Center, the team has continued to exceed expectations and is now 3-3 in confer...
Panthers pound Tar Heels at the Pete, 68-48
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
January 15, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team has owned its series with the conference rival North Carolina Tar Heels since moving to the ACC. Sunday afternoon was no different. Following a pair of road losses against top-ten opponents, the Panthers (11-7 overall, 2-3 ACC) returned home and dominated the Tar H...
Panthers pound Eagles for first ACC win, 56-43
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
January 6, 2017
The Pitt women’s basketball team has turned to Brenna Wise and Brandi Harvey-Carr for the majority of its offense this season, but a new face emerged Thursday night as the Panthers’ go-to offensive threat — reserve forward Kalista Walters. Wise, a sophomore forward, leads the team with 14.1 points per g...
Pitt women’s basketball drops City Game to Duquesne, 63-54
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
December 30, 2016
After a promising start to the season, the Pitt women’s basketball team wrapped up its nonconference schedule in disappointing fashion in the City Game Thursday night. The Panthers (9-4) suffered a 63-54 loss to the cross-town rival Duquesne Dukes (7-7) at the A.J. Palumbo Center, giving Duquesne...
Pitt women’s basketball trounced by Penn State, 91-62
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
December 10, 2016
After suffering a 29-point thumping Saturday afternoon against her alma mater, Pitt women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio had one question. “Who thought igniting this rivalry was a good idea?” McConnell-Serio said after the Panthers’ blowout defeat against the Penn State Nitta...
Pitt women’s basketball romps to 94-48 win vs. Slippery Rock
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
November 23, 2016
The Pitt women’s basketball team is dealing with injuries to top playmakers Yacine Diop and Alayna Gribble, but that hasn’t stopped the Panthers from rolling to a 5-0 start. Pitt (5-0) rumbled to a 94-48 victory against Slippery Rock University (3-2) at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday after...
Pitt women’s basketball mauls Loyola Maryland, 74-44
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
November 22, 2016
The Pitt women’s basketball team put together its most complete performance of the season Monday night as all five starters reached double digits in points. Pitt, 4-0, cruised to a 74-44 victory over the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds, 2-3, Monday at the Petersen Events Center, led by standout performance...
Pitt women’s basketball pummels Youngstown State, 63-50
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | Staff Writer
November 15, 2016
After the two youngest players on the Pitt women’s basketball team led the way in the regular season opener, a familiar name emerged at the top of the stat sheet in game two: Brenna Wise. A team-record 9,771 fans spilled out of school buses and into the Petersen Events Center at 11 a.m. Monday ...
Pitt women’s basketball cruises to 89-54 season-opening win
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
November 12, 2016
Many fans and analysts wondered how the Pitt women’s basketball team would deal with the offseason transfers of forward Stasha Carey and guard Fred Potvin. If the Panthers’ regular season opener Saturday vs. Mount St. Mary’s is any indication, recruiting first-year guards Jasmine Whitney and Al...
Pitt men’s and women’s basketball teams sign 2017 recruits
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
November 10, 2016
Even though the 2016-2017 basketball seasons are just days away, both Pitt men’s basketball head coach Kevin Stallings and women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio solidified their rosters for next year on Thursday. Stallings officially inked four players to the Panthers’ 2017 recruiting class...
Winning Ways: Whitney brings championship pedigree to Panthers
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | For The Pitt News
October 31, 2016
At Pitt’s first open practice of the year, first-year point guard Jasmine Whitney controls the Petersen Events Center court with a quiet calmness. She doesn’t frantically shout out a play — rather, she stands at the top of the key and directs her teammates to open spots on the court. She hold...
Pitt Women’s Basketball Season Preview: A Transition Year
By Dan Sostek | Senior Staff Writer
October 31, 2016
It seems like the same refrain year after year, but it holds true again this season — Pitt women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio is once again fielding a young team. Out of 12 players on the Panthers’ roster, eight are first- and second-year players, and only two are seniors. Bu...
Pitt women’s basketball releases 2016 ACC schedule
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
September 15, 2016
Pitt women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio unveiled the team’s full 2016-2017 schedule Thursday, with nine consecutive home games scheduled at the Petersen Events Center to start the season. The Panthers’ season starts Nov. 12, with a home game against Mount St. Mary’s, and featu...
McConnell-Serio, Team USA bring home the gold from Chile
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
July 18, 2016
One week after Pitt volleyball head coach Dan Fisher led the United States to bronze medals at the Pan Am Cup, women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio upped the ante by guiding Team USA to gold. McConnell-Serio and the United States U18 Women’s National Team are coming home from Chile with gold ...
Out with the old, in with the new: Pitt script makes its return
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 19, 2016
After 20 years, the Pitt script’s scrawling lettering and vintage design is back –– with a twist. With the Petersen Events Center lobby jam-packed with people, the Athletic Department unveiled brand new uniforms for Pitt’s 19 varsity athletic teams all emblazoned with the cursive Pitt script ...
Women’s basketball aiming to improve from increased experience
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
March 15, 2016
The Pitt women’s basketball players’ season ended earlier than they might have wanted — but don’t expect them to wallow in the offseason. “Obviously we’re all sad and disappointed that we didn’t have a postseason, but at the same time, we finished with pride and went down fighting,” fresh...
McConnell-Serio named head coach of USA U18 team
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
March 8, 2016
Pitt’s Suzie McConnell-Serio has added another prestigious honor to her already impressive resume on Tuesday, as USA Basketball named her the head coach of the country’s U18 National Team ahead of the 2016 FIBA Americas Championship in Chile this July. “It’s such an incredible honor to be...
Women’s basketball season ends in blowout loss to No. 21 Miami
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
March 3, 2016
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 ...
Pitt tops UNC for program’s first ACC tournament victory
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
March 3, 2016
Trailing by three, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels had 15.9 seconds to tie the Pitt women’s basketball team to remain alive in the ACC tournament. They used 15.8 of those seconds, and thanks to a clutch make by Jamie Cherry, the No. 12 seeded Panthers had to outplay the No. 13 Tar Heels...
Pitt women’s basketball loses in home finale
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
February 26, 2016
The Pitt women’s basketball team couldn’t save its best for last in its final home game of the season. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-11, 7-8 ACC) defeated the Panthers (12-16, 4-11 ACC) 66-60 in the team’s last contest at the Petersen Events Center this year. The loss was the Panthers’ ni...
Wise beyond her years: Freshman women’s basketball star thriving in hometown
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
February 18, 2016
In the same sphere that thousands of golden-clad students have shimmied and shrieked at dangerous decibel levels, a single player and ball graced the hardwood Tuesday morning. An unusually tranquil scene, the sound of her few dribbles and the swish of the net echoed against the Petersen Events Center’s ...
Panthers utilize early run to blow out Tar Heels on road
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
February 18, 2016
Not much has gone right for the Pitt women’s basketball team this season, but everything went right against North Carolina Thursday night. Pitt (12-14, 4-9 ACC) trampled the North Carolina Tar Heels (14-14, 4-9 ACC) in a decisive 76-60 victory in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Thursday. The Panthers...
Demon Deacons demonize Panther by double digits
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
February 5, 2016
In a battle of two-win conference teams, the Pitt women’s basketball team couldn’t outpace Wake Forest. Trying for consecutive wins for the first time since late December, the Panthers (10-13, 2-8 ACC) came up short in their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-11, 3-7 ACC) Thursday at th...
Pitt falters at home against Duke 70-48
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
January 29, 2016
For every Pitt basket, Duke had an answer — and then some. After breaking a seven-game losing streak on the road in its last game, the Pitt women’s basketball team (9-12, 1-7 ACC) struggled through a tough test with the Duke Blue Devils (16-6, 5-3 ACC) and eventually fell by a score of 70-48. The...
Despite slow start, five items becoming clear surrounding Pitt women’s basketball
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
January 6, 2016
Before the season began, no one knew how the Pitt women’s basketball team would respond after losing star point guard Brianna Kiesel to the WNBA. After opening its schedule on a four-game win streak, the team has struggled in the last 10 contests, dropping six games, including its first conference...
Pitt women’s basketball roll over Mount St. Mary 74-57
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
December 9, 2015
On Tuesday night, the Pitt women’s basketball team peaked well above the Mountaineers. In a young season of disappointing offensive performances, the Pitt women’s basketball team wasted no time disposing of Mount St. Mary’s University, 74-57, thanks to an efficient offense and a stifling defense...
Stifling defense leads to blowout win for Pitt women’s basketball over Delaware State
By Logan Hitchcock / Staff Writer
November 20, 2015
A stifling Pitt defense never gave Delaware State a chance. After a dominating performance from freshman Kalista Walters against St. Francis, fellow freshmen Kauai Bradley and Brenna Wise joined Walters in leading Pitt women’s basketball to a dominating 77-43 win over the Delaware State Hornets...
Walters lights up Red Flash in 74-59 road win against St. Francis
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
November 17, 2015
Against the St. Francis Red Flash, it was Kalista Walters who shined brightest. The Pitt women’s basketball team never trailed Monday evening, defeating St. Francis 74-59 in Loretto, Pennsylvania, to move to 2-0 on the season. Walters, a freshman, led the Panthers with a game-high 26 points. “Wa...
Rotation questions need resolutions prior to opening of season for mens, women’s basketball
By Chris Puzia / Assistant Sports Editor
November 5, 2015
As leaves fall and the air chills, the attention of Pitt fans shifts from the resurgent Panther football team to the promising campaigns of the Pitt men’s and women’s basketball teams. Hitting the court Nov. 13, for their season openers, the men’s team is prepping its suitcases for a trip to Japan,...
Second-half struggles down Pitt in season opener
By Chris Puzia / Sports Editor
November 14, 2014
The Pitt women’s basketball team’s play in the first half of its season opener against Princeton Friday seemed to follow the trajectory of an entire season.The team started out slowly, and it seemed apparent this was the first competitive game the Panthers had played since early March. Two quick f...
Women’s Basketball: Recruit ineligible for upcoming season, won’t attend Pitt
By Jasper Wilson / Sports Editor
July 11, 2014
Naje Gibson, a talented women’s basketball recruit, will not attend Pitt this year as she is academically ineligible, according to reports by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Karen Price of the Tribune-Review reported last night that Gibson, a 6-foot forward, will attend Florida Stat...