Trailing by 32 points with a little more than a minute and a half left in the first half against the SMU Mustangs on Sunday, the Pitt Panthers won the second half by a resounding 54-10 to match the biggest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history.
A women’s college basketball team been able to overcome more than a 30-point deficit only one other time. Texas State overcame a 32-point deficit against the University of Texas-San Antonio on Feb. 18, 2006.
But Pitt’s victory was arguably more impressive.
Unlike Texas State, Pitt did not require overtime in order to win. The Panthers won the game 72-59, a 13-point margin.
Essentially, this was a thorough second-half beating from Pitt. Here’s how it went down:
What happened in the second half?
The second half got off to as bad a start as possible for SMU. The Mustangs failed to record a single point in the third quarter, being outscored 28-0. They were a combined 0-for-11 from the field with five turnovers. Pitt, meanwhile, shot 11-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
The Mustangs still led entering the fourth quarter, but the momentum had totally swung in Pitt’s favor. SMU did shoot better in the fourth quarter, tallying 10 points, but it was far too late.
SMU shot 7% from the field in the second half, hitting only one shot, a 3-pointer from Zanai Jones with 6:49 left in the game. That gave SMU a 54-52 lead, the team’s last lead of the game.
Who led the Panthers in scoring?
Mikayla Johnson and Khadija Faye led Pitt with 22 and 21 points respectively. SMU’s Nya Robertson was the game’s top scorer with 23 points.
Is this the biggest comeback in NCAA history?
For women, yes. It is tied with Texas State’s 2006 victory over UTSA at 32 points for the largest comeback in NCAA women’s Division I history. However, there was a bigger comeback on the men’s side.
On Feb. 22, 2018, Drexel overcame a 34-point deficit against Delaware to end a four-game losing streak. In the first half, Delaware was shooting 62% from the floor and 63% from three. However, junior Tramaine Isabell dropped 22 points in the second half, nearly outscoring Delaware by himself in the final 20 minutes. Drexel won the game 85-83 with Isabell hitting the game-winning free throws with 2.2 seconds left.
When does Pitt play next?
Pitt’s next game is on the road against the defending NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks. The game is set for Thursday, Jan. 16, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.