Pitt Women Welcome DePaul to the Petersen Events Center
12/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2010
Game Notes
Pittsburgh (4-3) begins BIG EAST play on Tuesday, Dec. 7 when the Panthers host No. 24 DePaul (8-1) at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The contest is the BIG EAST opener for both programs.
The Tuesday evening meeting is the ninth all-time between the league foes with the series tied at 4-4. The Panthers have won three of the last five in the series but dropped a 68-57 contest to the Blue Demons in Chicago last season.
The Panthers are 4-3 under head coach Agnus Berenato in BIG EAST Conference openers. Pitt has won two of the last three season starters. They dropped a 66-55 decision at Marquette last season to begin league play (Jan. 2, 2010). Tonight's meeting marks the second time DePaul and Pitt have faced off in a BIG EAST opener. The two met to open the 2007-08 season on Jan. 6, a 97-68 Panthers victory, in Chicago.
Overall, Pitt is 12-16 in BIG EAST openers with a 7-5 mark in home league beginners. It is the earliest league opener for Pitt since Dec. 8, 2005 - a 67-55 victory over Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center. The last time the BIG EAST elected to have a league game played in December was the 2006-07 season. Pitt did not play a December contest that season, but DePaul opened at home against Rutgers.
The Panthers are coming off a 66-30 home victory over Mount St. Mary's on Saturday evening. Senior Taneisha Harrison led all scorers with 13 points. The guard from Bowie, Md. is 21 points from the 1,000 point mark in her career. The seven freshmen on the Pitt roster saw valuable time on the floor versus the Mount, registering a season-high 27 bench points and 16 bench rebounds.
The 30 points allowed by Pitt were the fewest by an opponent since the 1981-82 season (65-29 victory over Fairmont State/Nov. 18, 1981).
DePaul, under the leadership of Doug Bruno in his 25th season, has won five-straight and eight of its first nine games. The Blue Demons are paced in scoring by junior Keisha Hampton (18.6 ppg), a Philadelphia native.
The contest will be broadcast live on WJAS Radio and televised on Pitt Panthers Television on The Comcast Network (Channels 188/210). Scott Stiller will serve as play-by-play announcer and Jenn Tuscano will have commentary.
Live stats are available via the web at www.pittsburghpanthers.com and you can follow game action via twitter @PittWomensHoops.