The Pitt Women’s Basketball Team tied an NCAA Division I record by coming back from 32 points down to best SMU 72-59 Sunday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
“We knew we had to come out and we had change something,” junior guard Marley Washenitz reflected to radio play-by-play voice Josh Rowntree. “We were definitely deflated going into halftime, even in halftime, we were deflated and down. Coach (Tory Verdi) said we needed one person to ignite us, we need one play to ignite us and I think coming down hitting that three after myself and my teammates were struggling, I think that did really ignite us. From there we just took off. Being able to hold them to zero points in the third quarter is something I wish we could do every quarter.”
In doing so, Pitt earned its first home ACC win in the Tory Verdi era. This victory saw the Panthers match a season high for most points in a quarter when they outscored SMU 28-0.
Pitt (9-9/1-4 ACC) was once again led by graduate student center Khadija Faye who posted her seventh double-double of the season with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 12 rebounds. Faye got an unconventional triple double of sorts as she drew 10 fouls across her 36 minutes.
Mikayla Johnson, who started the last eight games of this season came off the bench and responded with a career high 22 points.
Marley Washenitz put together a double-figure game for the second consecutive contest with her 14 points. MaKayla Elmore recorded a double-digit rebounding total for the third time this season with her team-high 13 boards.
As a team, Pitt had 18 assists on 22 made baskets, eight of which came from starting point guard Brooklynn Miles, who was a +38 on the day. The Panthers won the rebounding battle 47-40 and the paint was a clear advantage, evidenced by a 24-2 scoring edge.
SMU (10-7/2-3 ACC) saw Nya Robertson score 23 points, though it took 20 shots and 12 free throws to get there. Zanai Jones contributed 10 points and Jessica Peterson 11 rebounds.
Pitt put itself in a 13-3 hole to open the contest and trailed 32-7 after a quarter. SMU 50% of its shots, which included 7-for-11 from three-point range, while the Panthers were 1-for-12 from the field.
The 32-point deficit came with 1:37 remaining in the second quarter as Jones sank a pair of free throws. SMU led 49-18 at halftime.
Then came the third quarter.
SMU went 0-for-13 from the field, and it took Pitt 2:14 to score, but once it did, it was off to the races.
The Mustangs tried stopping the run after eight points dropped of their lead, the last two of which came from Faye after a turnover.
It was not to be.
SMU’s fifth turnover of the quarter, turned into a Johnson three, meaning Pitt trailed 49-46 after three quarters. The Panthers shot 62.5% from the field in those 10 minutes.
Elmore would open the fourth quarter with another three-point shot, tying the game, and a Washenitz three pointer of her own gave Pitt its first lead of the day.
Though, SMU would crawl back in front, a 7-0 Pitt run placed the hosts up for good. The free-throw line was pivotal for Pitt’s efforts, where it was 10-for-13, including eight consecutive makes to end the game.
Once the buzzer sounded, Verdi displayed visible excitement and emotion knowing the comeback was complete.
“I think it’s awesome,” stated Washenitz about tying the NCAA record. “That’s why I came to Pitt. There’s a lot of history to be made here, especially with women’s basketball. That’s what we all came here to do and I’m just happy to say I’ve been a part of something so special and to make history.”
Pitt next will be at NC State for a Thursday tilt at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network.
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