Pitt
Rutgers
Pitt Women's Basketball Falls at Rutgers, 54-42
2/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2011
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Chelsea Cole (Lumberton, N.J.) collected her 12th double-double of the season, but it was not enough as the University of Pittsburgh dropped a 54-42 decision at Rutgers on Tuesday evening at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
Cole tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds while senior Shayla Scott (Monroeville, Pa.) added nine points for the Panthers (11-12, 3-7 BIG EAST).
“When you are playing a lot of freshmen, they are going to miss opportunities or waste those opportunities. They are learning and it’s a give and take,” said head coach Agnus Berenato. “I still feel the month of February will be good for us and we will learn and be okay.”
Sophomore Erica Wheeler led the Scarlet Knights (14-9, 7-3) with 16 points. Redshirt junior Khadijah Rushdan recorded a triple double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
A two-point game (6-4) at the 16:18 mark following a field goal from Pitt guard Ashlee Anderson, Rutgers erupted on a 13-2 run to move ahead, 19-6, over the next five minutes. Senior guard Jania Sims (Newark, N.J.) ended the over three-minute drought with a three-pointer from straightaway with 10:22 left in the period.
RU pushed ahead by as many as 14 (23-9), but Pitt finished the half on a 9-2 run to make it a seven-point game at intermission. Senior Taneisha Harrison (Bowie, Md.) had four of the nine points during the span.
After RU extended its lead to nine to open the second half, Pitt pulled to seven on a jumper by Sims. The Scarlet Knights climbed out to an 11-point lead at 35-24 on an old fashioned three-point play by Monique Oliver with 14:26 remaining.
The Panthers scored seven-straight, four of those coming from freshman Asia Logan (Baltimore, Md.), to close to 35-31. The teams traded buckets on the next two possessions, but Pitt got closer with an offensive put-back from Cole (37-35) with 9:05 on the clock.
RU guard April Sykes responded with a fall-away three pointer and Oliver drained two from the free throw line to give the home team a 42-35 advantage.
Pitt would not go away as Harrison hit a triple from the top of the arc to cut the deficit to four (42-38) with 4:55 to play.
Pitt had three chances to cut the lead to a basket, but could not make up ground as the last attempt – a three-pointer - from the left side by Logan bounced off the rim. After Oliver picked up her fourth foul on a player control call, Pitt had a chance to again, close the gap as the shot attempt was blocked on the other end by Oliver with 2:03 on the clock and RU went the other way for a fast break layup.
Pitt reacted quickly with Cole scoring on the other end on a fast break opportunity – but the Scarlet Knights got a three-pointer, their sixth of the game, by Wheeler to put some distance on the scoreboard.
Pitt shot 32.1 percent for the game while Rutgers hit at a 35.3 percent effort. The Panthers connected on just two of 19 three-point attempts (10.5 percent).
The Panthers host USF on Saturday, Feb. 12. Tip time at the Petersen Events Center is at 2:15 p.m.
