Tony Verdi’s group didn’t quit on Sunday afternoon.
It took a historic comeback, but they pulled it off.
The Pittsburgh women’s basketball team rallied from a 32-point hole to stun SMU 72-59 on Sunday. It matched the largest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history, which was first set by Texas State back in 2006.
“I came in at halftime and said, ‘I don’t have any magic words and I don’t have any magic plays,'” Verdi said, . “We were just getting outworked; we were getting outplayed. It was a positive, spirited conversation. I challenged them. We talked about pride, having a sense of pride. And then essentially I gave them a roadmap to get us back into the game.”
SMU opened the game on a 46-14 tear while the Panthers shot just 2-of-20 from the field. Things simply weren’t going well at all for the Panthers, and they quickly fell into a 32-point hole just before halftime.
But, after entering halftime with a 31-point advantage, the Mustangs completely shut down. They didn’t score a single point in the third quarter, which allowed the Panthers to go on a 28-0 run and cut the game to just one possession. Then, after Makayla Elmore hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, the game was suddenly tied.
Pittsburgh then fought through the final 10 minutes and outscored SMU 26-10 in the fourth quarter to escape with the 13-point win.
Nya Robertson led the Mustangs with 23 points and six rebounds, though she shot just 4-of-12 from the 3-point line. Zanai Jones was the only other player on the team to hit double figures. She finished with 10 points and five assists.
Khadija Faye led Pittsburgh with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Mikayla Johnson added 22 points and six rebounds off the bench. Elmore finished with seven points and 13 rebounds, too. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Panthers, and brought them to 9-9 on the year.
“Once the game ended and once I really realized what occurred, it’s amazing,” Verdi said. “But I’m just so proud. I’m proud of the players because they made it happen. It’s not me. Our kids did this and they deserve this.”
