Women lost to BC this afternoon

[Joe the Panther Fan]

79-70, in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.

Pitt actually got off to a good start for a change and led at the end of the first quarter. BC had a nice running spanning the end of the first and early in the second to take a five point lead, but Pitt got it back to one at the half when Gabbie Green hit a three right before the buzzer. BC started the second half on a 14-4 run to take an 11 point lead, but after Pitt called a timeout they scored 11 points in a row to tie the game up. Once again Pitt got a basket at the buzzer, this time a layup from Jahsyni Knight, to go into the 4th down one. Pitt got an Aysia Bugg three at the beginning of the 4th to take the lead, and it went back and forth from their until Pitt had a 66-65 lead with 5:00 left in the game. But BC hit some threes down the stretch that Pitt had no answer for, and they outscored Pitt 14-4 in the last five minutes of the game.

Pitt actually played with two bigs on the court at the same time a lot today. Gabbie Green had 12 for Pitt on four threes, and Rita Igbokwe also had 12. She had a couple nice moves in the low post. Aysia Bugg had 10 points and 6 assists. Marcella Lamark had a season high with 9. Dayshanette Harris had an awful game shooting the ball, 0-10, but she did go 5-6 from the line and had 8 rebounds and 6 assists. If she can just start shooting the ball well she's doing enough other stuff to be really good.

I also got an answer to a question that several of us have had all season. Jasmine Whitney is not playing because she just decided that she didn't want to play basketball anymore. But apparently once the season started she realized how much she missed it, because she is now planning on transferring from Pitt to somewhere else and playing her last season elsewhere.

 

[California Panther]

79-70, in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.

Pitt actually got off to a good start for a change and led at the end of the first quarter. BC had a nice running spanning the end of the first and early in the second to take a five point lead, but Pitt got it back to one at the half when Gabbie Green hit a three right before the buzzer. BC started the second half on a 14-4 run to take an 11 point lead, but after Pitt called a timeout they scored 11 points in a row to tie the game up. Once again Pitt got a basket at the buzzer, this time a layup from Jahsyni Knight, to go into the 4th down one. Pitt got an Aysia Bugg three at the beginning of the 4th to take the lead, and it went back and forth from their until Pitt had a 66-65 lead with 5:00 left in the game. But BC hit some threes down the stretch that Pitt had no answer for, and they outscored Pitt 14-4 in the last five minutes of the game.

Pitt actually played with two bigs on the court at the same time a lot today. Gabbie Green had 12 for Pitt on four threes, and Rita Igbokwe also had 12. She had a couple nice moves in the low post. Aysia Bugg had 10 points and 6 assists. Marcella Lamark had a season high with 9. Dayshanette Harris had an awful game shooting the ball, 0-10, but she did go 5-6 from the line and had 8 rebounds and 6 assists. If she can just start shooting the ball well she's doing enough other stuff to be really good.

I also got an answer to a question that several of us have had all season. Jasmine Whitney is not playing because she just decided that she didn't want to play basketball anymore. But apparently once the season started she realized how much she missed it, because she is now planning on transferring from Pitt to somewhere else and playing her last season elsewhere.

Are the women going to have a "Stallingsesque" oh-fer or do you think they'll sneak out a few?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Are the women going to have a "Stallingsesque" oh-fer or do you think they'll sneak out a few?

I think it's possible, but unlikely at this point. They will surely be underdogs in every game they play the rest of the season. But like the men, this doesn't appear to be a great year for ACC women's basketball. There are several teams that they can beat, assuming that they play well. They get both BC and Notre Dame again, albeit on the road, but neither of those teams are that much better than Pitt. Play BC on a day when they aren't making 53% of their threes and that could have easily been a win. Play ND on a day when you shoot the ball even average and that could have easily been a win.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

And as I said with the men, going 0-18 is really hard to do.

 

[MajorMajors]

My guess is they’ll win one or two. They were in the last couple of games but a couple players were ice cold shooting the ball. Should be a game or two when the shots are falling...but going 0-fer is certainly possible.

Even if they go winless, there are encouraging signs. Like Rita shooting 6 for 10 yesterday. She’s got a long way to go, but we haven’t had a Rita-type-presence in the paint since back to Mercedes Walker...

And Gabby Green is gaining confidence offensively.

Harris is playing like a talented and sometimes out-of-control freshman, but will be worth-the-wait, IMHO...

Freshmen Rita, Harris, and Amber “AB” Brown are going to be fun to watch for the next three seasons... Along with the other two freshmen (Emy Hayford and red-shirting Cynthia), this group and the three incoming recruits are going to transform the Pitt program, IMHO...

Go Pitt.

 

[Chescat]

Are the women going to have a "Stallingsesque" oh-fer or do you think they'll sneak out a few?

I think they'll win a few. They play well enough in spurts to show that the
talent is there. The know how is also there. Unfortunately as Coach White
has stressed, the "continuity" isn't there. That is a consequence of being
good (not great) and also being very young and inexperienced.

We run a very effective offense for a while, and then we break down for
a while. We get a block or two inside on the D end, and then we get posted
up inside for easy layups. We play good perimeter D, and then give up wide
open looks to good shooters. I like our pressure D and it sometimes works
for us. These teams however are coached well enough to eventually break it.
The BC guard, Dickens yesterday was the best player on the floor IMO. She was
able to break us down in several ways.....passing, dribbling through pressure,
assists and scoring (26 pts.). She was 11-16 from the field, 4-6 on threes,
8 assists.
As a team they shot 50% from the field, 50 PLUS % on threes 9-17, and
out rebounded us. That's tough to beat. So...why do teams put up such
good numbers against us? As I see it, much of their output was a result
of our breaking down on defense. Something we've done frequently.
Continuity, Continuity, and Continuity.....we're young and inexperienced,
but we do have talent. A work in progress.

 

[MajorMajors]

Interesting information about Jasmine Whitney in the OP. If she had played this season, Pitt probably has a few more wins at this point. They could have had Harris come off the bench and play fewer minutes. The young team would have had another steadying influence.

Whitney was very inconsistent with her shooting, having great games and then poor games, but the rest off her game was always pretty solid...

Go Pitt.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Dropped 7 in a row.
They've won 4,4,2,2 in ACC last 4 yrs.
I think if they get to 3 conf wins at this point he'll do cartwheels.

 

[Chescat]

Dropped 7 in a row.
They've won 4,4,2,2 in ACC last 4 yrs.
I think if they get to 3 conf wins at this point he'll do cartwheels.

We might not see any cartwheels because thee wins in ACC will be quite
an achievement IMO.
With that said, I don't consider the record all that important this year,
as long as they show effort and continue to improve.

We all know we're in a rebuild. White has good freshman playing right
now and it appears that the ones coming in are probably better yet.
Only Bugg leaves the program, as the others all have eligibility left.
We will have eleven back. It'll be interesting to see if anyone leaves
the program opening up other scholarships. As of now, if my math is
right we can bring in two recruits.

 

[MajorMajors]

As of now, they would have 14 on the roster next season with Bugg leaving and the 3 signed freshmen coming in.

After next season they lose Green, Judkins, LaMark, and Nelson.

Apparently they are looking for a PG and a 3-guard/wing in their next recruiting class...

Go Pitt.

 

[Chescat]

As of now, they would have 14 on the roster next season with Bugg leaving and the 3 signed freshmen coming in.

After next season they lose Green, Judkins, LaMark, and Nelson.

Apparently they are looking for a PG and a 3-guard/wing in their next recruiting class...

Go Pitt.

I know the limit is 13 for men. Is the women's number the same? Something
tells me it's 15, however I'm not sure of that.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I know the limit is 13 for men. Is the women's number the same? Something
tells me it's 15, however I'm not sure of that.

That is correct, 13 for the men, 15 for the women.

 

[MajorMajors]

I know the limit is 13 for men. Is the women's number the same? Something
tells me it's 15, however I'm not sure of that.

It’s 15 for the women’s team. We’ve never had close to 15 — while I’ve been following the team —until Heather arrived...

Go Pitt.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It’s 15 for the women’s team. We’ve never had close to 15 — while I’ve been following the team —until Heather arrived...

Yeah, but most teams don't actually have 15. That's really probably a couple too many. If you have 15, unless a couple are sitting out because they are injured (or otherwise not eligible) there's a pretty good chance you are going to have players transfer out.

 

[MajorMajors]

Yeah, but most teams don't actually have 15. That's really probably a couple too many. If you have 15, unless a couple are sitting out because they are injured (or otherwise not eligible) there's a pretty good chance you are going to have players transfer out.

I agree. I think the previous coach may have been permitted to go to 15 to try to compensate for the level of talent on the team.

Coach White has shown he will not need to go that route...

At the current rate, when this team is all Coach White recruits, it’s going to be a level of overall talent that I haven’t seen on the women’s team.

Go Pitt.

 

[Chescat]

15 is a lot to manage. Keeping so many subs happy isn't easy. I always
liked 12 as a number to have. It gives you 10 to scrimmage, with two others
in case of injury.
A normal game time rotation is never that many. Getting minutes for 15
is just about impossible.
The men are at 13 scholarships and the women are at 15. Do you think
Title 9 has anything to do with why there's a difference?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

The men are at 13 scholarships and the women are at 15. Do you think
Title 9 has anything to do with why there's a difference?

It has everything to do with the difference. Somehow athletic departments have to account for football. So men's basketball gets 13, women's gets 15. Men's soccer gets 9.9 (I don't know why they just don't make it 10), women's gets 14. Men's swimming and diving gets 9.9 (that number again) and women's gets 14. Men's track/cross country gets 12.6, women's gets 18. Men's volleyball gets 4.5 (for the few schools that have it), women's gets 12. And so on.

 

[Chescat]

It has everything to do with the difference. Somehow athletic departments have to account for football. So men's basketball gets 13, women's gets 15. Men's soccer gets 9.9 (I don't know why they just don't make it 10), women's gets 14. Men's swimming and diving gets 9.9 (that number again) and women's gets 14. Men's track/cross country gets 12.6, women's gets 18. Men's volleyball gets 4.5 (for the few schools that have it), women's gets 12. And so on.

Thanks. I kinda thought that it was due to Title 9. I guess this how you somehow
account for "equal opportunity."