Pitt
Providence
Panthers Defeat Providence in Front of Season-High Crowd
1/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH - Sophomore Marcedes Walker and junior Mallorie Winn combined for 44 points to lead Pitt to a 75-65 victory over Providence in front of 3,385 fans at the Petersen Events Center.
The Panthers (12-4, 3-2 Big East) won for the seventh time in eight home games and remained unbeaten in conference home games at 3-0 with the 10-point victory over the Friars (6-9, 1-3 Big East).
Walker (Philadelphia, Pa./University City) had a game-high 25 points, making 10 of her 13 field-goal attempts, and pulled down seven rebounds. It was the second-highest effort by Walker this season, one point behind her 26-point effort in the season opener vs. William & Mary.
Winn (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's/Georgia Tech) added 19 points, including three three-pointers and a perfect 4-of-4 performance from the free-throw line. She also had three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 33 minutes of action.
The Panthers only trailed once in the game after a lay-up by Providence's Chelsea Marandola to make it 6-4 in favor of the Friars with 15:50 to go in the first half. The Panthers scored the next nine points and never looked back. During the run, Winn had five points on a three-pointer and converting on a great assist from Shavonte Zellous (Orlando, Fla./Jones).
The Panthers' lead was increased to 13 points at 24-11 but a 10-1 run by the Friars cut the advantage down to four with 4:49 left in the first frame. Pitt took an eight-point lead into the break at 35-27, with Walker scoring 13. She added 12 more in the second half as Pitt expanded its lead quickly.
After an open court lay-up by Danielle Taylor (Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) with 10:52 remaining in the game made it 56-38 in favor of the Panthers, Pitt cruised the rest of the way for its third Big East win of the season.
Marandola led the Friars with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Shauna Snyder poured in 13 points and Shantee Darrian added 11 in the loss. Pitt forced 22 Providence turnovers while recording a season-best 21 assists against just 13 giveaways.
Freshman Xenia Stewart (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) played a game-high 37 minutes, scoring nine points with seven rebounds and a season-high nine assists. The nine helpers were the most by any Pitt player this season. Another of Pitt's newcomers, Maddy Brown (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima), scored 11 points and had a season-best four steals.
The Panthers travel to Marquette (11-4, 2-2 Big East) for an 8 p.m. (EST) contest on Wednesday, Jan. 18, before returning home to take on seventh-ranked Connecticut on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.
NOTES: Pitt shot nearly 46 percent from the field, improving its percentage over 17 percent from the previous game...the Panthers outrebounded the Friars, 35 to 33, thanks to two offensive boards by Vika Sholokhova (St. Petersburg, Russia/Sacred Heart [NJ]) in the final minute...the Panthers' 11 steals tied for the second highest total this season.
