Somewhere this season, as the Pitt women's basketball team transformed itself from bottom-feeder to overachiever, it surrendered the right to walk away from these games smiling. Used to be, the Panthers could play a ranked team, lose by 15 and take the satisfaction of an ego boost: They could compete without embarrassment.

Now, such games -- including their 65-50 loss to No. 7 Rutgers yesterday at the Petersen Events Center -- no longer remind the Panthers how far they have come, but rather remind them of the small but persistent gap they are trying to close. Three times this season, Pitt has lost to opponents ranked in the Top 15 -- once by six, once by 11, yesterday by 15.

That's the difference between senior-heavy teams and Pitt, which starts two freshmen and a sophomore. That's the difference between the long-established elite and Pitt (18-8, 9-6 Big East), which had been picked to finish 13th in the conference before the season.

Speaking after the loss -- the Panthers' first in the past four games -- coach Agnus Berenato summarized the gap in one word, "youth." No. 11 DePaul defeated her team Jan. 3 thanks to 29 points from senior Khara Smith. No. 5 Connecticut relied on senior Ann Strother. And Rutgers, which never led by less than nine in the final 10 minutes, held its lead largely because of 23 points from All-Big East senior Cappie Pondexter.

"These are my leaders right here," Berenato said, pointing to sophomore center Marcedes Walker and junior guard Mallorie Winn. "And I wouldn't trade them, they're wonderful. But, at the same time, you have to be able to be in a situation, and then you have to learn."

And the loss to Rutgers only underscored what Pitt still lacks. Though the Panthers can still claim strong NCAA tournament hopes -- both Berenato and Scarlet Knights coach C. Vivian Stringer believe Pitt's 18 wins should earn it a spot -- they failed to find a third scoring option yesterday. Walker scored 24; Winn scored 12. Problem was, the rest of the team converted five field goals.

Against Rutgers' aggressive defense, the Panthers struggled through 40 minutes of discomfort. They trailed by seven at halftime only because of Walker, who used offensive rebounds to convert three teammates' misses into three layups.

Only one game remains -- Tuesday at Notre Dame -- before Pitt heads to the Big East tournament. Berenato said her team, no matter what it does next, has earned an NCAA bid. "I think we should get in with 18 [wins]," she said.

"She's done a great job," Stringer said of her coaching opponent. "She and her staff have really brought the level of competition up ... I believe the future is very bright for Pittsburgh. Very, very bright."