Pitt Basketball: Lady Lions out-tough Panthers, for last time?
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Once again, the Pitt women's basketball team entered the Bryce Jordan Center looking to improve upon its national ranking and extend its undefeated season.
Once again, the Panthers left losers. And this time, there will be no shot at redemption, at least not in the foreseeable future.
Pitt had three players score in double-figures and outshot Penn State yesterday, but it wasn't enough in a 77-73 loss before 4,159 fans, the Lady Lions' largest home crowd of the season.
The 15th-ranked Panthers are now 1-17 all-time against the Lady Lions in games played in University Park.
"It's what home crowds do," Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said. "It's what you do at home. When you're home, you defend your home title."
Jania Sims led the way for the Panthers, scoring 15 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists.
Shayla Scott and Sophronia Sallard added 17 and 15 points, respectively.
But Pitt (8-1) never had an answer for Tyra Grant, the Lady Lions senior who torched the Panthers for 19 points in their 80-74 loss here two years ago, when they came in ranked No. 20 at 2-0.
Yesterday, Grant scored 27 points, seemingly willing her way into the lane and finishing every time. She left the game with what she called a groin injury at the 3:14 mark with Penn State up, 65-60. She re-entered at the two-minute mark and helped close the door on the Panthers.
"She made a lot of tough shots," Sims said. "I think we had great pressure defense, but big-time players make big-time shots."
Penn State's starting front line didn't make life inside much easier for Pitt.
Meredith Monroe scored 14 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and Nikki Greene added 12 and seven. The duo was responsible for 13 of the Lady Lions' 25 offensive rebounds.
Penn State (7-3) shot just 34 percent to Pitt's 42 percent, but the Lady Lions connected on 21 of 28 free throws. The Panthers got to the line just 16 times.
"Two of our goals were to not foul and to rebound," Berenato said. "So obviously we said that if we did those things, if we stayed with our goals, then it didn't matter what the score was."
Berenato and her team likely won't get a chance to play here again after Penn State decided to "defer" the series for a year. After the game, she made it abundantly clear it wasn't by Pitt's choice.
"I don't think so," Berenato said when asked if the series will resume. "Penn State didn't want to play us next year. They didn't want to come to our place next year. ... I'm not into that deferring stuff. You honor your contracts and you come back and forth.
"Sometimes when you want to get a dress on sale and you pass it up, then you go back to get it, it's gone. Woebegones to the aggressor, and I'm not waiting on anyone."
First Published December 13, 2009 12:00 am
