Panthers attack to win in OT
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Pitt played host to Lafayette in a non-conference game Saturday that was expected to be nothing but a tuneup for the start of the Big East schedule.
Instead, the Panthers found themselves in a fight with the Leopards, one Pitt almost didn't survive.
The Panthers trailed by as many as 15 points but showed a lot of character in battling back for 74-69 victory in overtime in front of a crowd of 1,531 at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said it wasn't exactly how she had things scripted, but it was another teaching moment for her young team.
"This was a great win for our program," Berenato said. "I told my team this morning that, for us, this year, there just aren't going to be any easy games.
"And frankly, if you look around the country, there are upsets every day and the person that is supposed to win, doesn't always win.
"I think we're learning you have to take every possession seriously, play this game possession by possession and just battle even when things aren't going our way. I feel like we learned a lot of good things today, especially in the way we won, that we can look back on as we go forward."
Although the Panthers (8-6) made the necessary plays down the stretch to tie the score and take it into overtime before winning, the Leopards walked out of the court crying "foul."
The officiating crew called plenty of fouls on the Leopards, especially down the stretch, and that left them an extremely unhappy bunch.
The biggest difference in the statistics between the teams was free-throw shooting: the Panthers shot 35; the Leopards only 12.
The Panthers fell behind, 46-31, with 14:37 to play, then scored 30 points in the final 14 minutes to tie the score. Of those 30 points, 19 came from the line, including eight in a row at one point.
More important, the Leopards two post players -- 6-foot-7 Danielle Fiacco and 6-foot-3 Emily Homan -- fouled out down the stretch, and, without those two, the Leopards had no prayer in overtime.
Many of those fouls came because Berenato shifted strategy and had center Leeza Burdgess, whose free throw with 18 seconds to play tied it, attack the basket and draw contact. The Panthers also switched to more full-court pressure and were able to force 17 second-half turnovers.
"We got after them full court, which we never do, and that was a key, but even when we got down I felt like there was a lot of time left on the clock," Berenato said.
"Leeza set the tone. We had to get the ball into the middle, had to attack them and then we made our free throws."
Burdgess, who had 14 points and five rebounds, said Fiacco's height was a big factor early in the game.
"[Fiacco] is definitely 6-foot-7 like they list her -- it seemed like every time I shot she got a hand on the ball," she said.
"I just kept saying to myself that I have to find a way to score, be more physical and get to the line, and that's what I was able to do."
Freshman Brianna Kiesel led the Panthers, who never trailed in overtime, with 15 points. Homan led the Leopards (5-9) with 22 points and five rebounds.
First Published January 1, 2012 12:00 am
