Pitt’s Women’s Basketball Coach Tory Verdi shook his head demonstratively when asked about junior forward Rapuluchi Ayodele picking up her fourth foul in the early stages of the fourth quarter of Saturday’s City Game against Duquesne.
Perhaps there was a direct correlation to Ayodele’s presence being missed and one fourth-quarter point coming in the first five minutes, but Duquesne created some separation and Pitt’s recovery was a play short as it fell 56-55.
It is Verdi’s belief that the third quarter hurt Pitt. The press that had affected Duquesne all game was being broken quicker, with more post touches and presences, which of course made Ayodele’s presence all the more important, but the fourth whistle on the forward certainly had an impact.
“We couldn’t do what we wanted to do from that point forward because we were just picking up fouls, stopping the clock,” Verdi stated. “Obviously, she’s a warrior on the boards for us and we need her out there. Getting her fourth was huge and I had to take her out of the game.”
The loss did not make Verdi any less proud of his team’s effort as part of the current journey it’s learning about what it takes to win games.
Sure, Verdi explained, the loss stings but he thought his team executed the game plan and left Duquesne a bit shellshocked.
In his opinion, the difference was Duquesne’s guards making some shots and his team missing free throws, where it was 17-28 for the game.
A bright spot for the Panthers came with an 18-8 offensive rebound edge, but it was not enough to take the win back into Oakland.
Now Pitt will have less than 72 hours to make some corrections before an 11 a.m. showdown with Coppin State Tuesday.
“Honestly it’s short-term memory,” freshman guard Aaryn Battle said. “It’s basketball, so you know it’s next game up. You have to fight for the next opportunity. So, it’s showing our opponents that we had a setback but we’re ready to come out and fight again.”
DEFENSE FORCES THE ISSUE
Pitt’s defense forced 13 Duquesne turnovers with its press and zone, the last of which Verdi consistently implemented at Massachusetts.
Duquesne coach Dan Burt knew the zone was coming as his teams struggled with each matchup against the Minutewomen.
It was not a surprise that Verdi went to it again Saturday as he was trying to slow down offensive execution, especially from Megan McConnell, a 5-foot-7 guard who does a little bit of everything for the Dukes.
McConnell was the lone consistent bright spot for Duquesne in that first half, but it was hard to find much positive for a Dukes offense which was held at bay in the post and was forcing up 30-foot shots, a testament to Pitt’s defensive pressure.
“We wanted to speed them up which we did, turn them over and create some offense for ourselves,” Verdi said.
All told, Duquesne shot 25% from the field in the first half and 36.4% in the second quarter, while 21 of 27 shots were from three-point range.
When things began to turn in the third quarter, the Dukes had their most effective shooting clip of the afternoon at 44.4%, before Ayodele’s foul trouble came back to bite Pitt.
“We bought in,” senior forward Liatu King said of the defensive game plan. “We knew what the game plan was, to be disruptive. We got a couple of 10-second calls and some steals and that was what the game plan was.”
LINEUP CHANGE
Verdi opted to change his starting lineup for the first time before this contest following an eight-point loss at George Mason, as Battle replaced Bella Perkins.
The matter was determined to be a “coach’s decision” on the basis of bringing a mentality of catching the ball on the wing and being able to attack more downhill.
In the George Mason lost, Battle scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds and recorded two steals in 25 minutes.
“Her effort especially in the last game was tremendous,” Verdi determined. “I’m about rewarding our players that come to practice. If you’re working hard, you’ll get opportunities. This is a maturation process. We have a system put in place. It’s about following that system and being disciplined and buying into what we’re doing.”
Battle played 25 minutes once again in this game, going for eight points, three rebounds and nailing all four free throws she took.
“Just being in the gym all of the time in practice, extra effort, it’s competitive nature, it’s everything,” said Battle of the starting honor. “Being in the gym, having fun with my teammates is amazing.”
