Pitt stuns SMU after being down 32 to set largest comeback in women’s basketball history

In its first year in the ACC, SMU has already made NCAA history — but not in a good way. SMU blew a 32-point lead against Pitt in the teams’ first-ever meeting, eventually losing by double digits as the Panthers set a record for the largest Division I women’s basketball comeback in regulation.

SMU was up 46-14 on Pitt with 1:37 to play in the second quarter but fell apart as the Panthers closed out the game on a 58-13 spurt, including pitching a 28-0 shutout in the third quarter. The 32-point comeback is tied for the largest in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history; Texas State came back from a 40-8 deficit against UTSA in 2006, but needed overtime to secure the win.

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The visiting Mustangs got off to a hot start, scoring 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting in the first quarter while limiting the Panthers to one made field goal, ending the period up 32-7. The lead ballooned to 32, and a last-second 3-pointer kept SMU up 31 points heading into halftime.

However, the Panthers held the Mustangs scoreless in the third quarter, the first time an ACC team failed to score in a quarter since Florida State in 2018. SMU missed all 13 of its field-goal attempts in the period while committing five turnovers.

“​​(Head coach Tory) Verdi just said, I don’t have any magic words for you guys,” Panthers guard Mikayla Johnson told the local broadcast postgame. “You guys have to want this more than them. We’ve worked so hard over these past two weeks, and we’ve had a lot of come-to-heart moments with each other, realizing that we just have to fall in love with the process and just continue to chip away each day.”

Pitt scored the first three points of the fourth to extend its run to 31-0 and tie the game in the process. The Panthers won the fourth quarter 26-10 to win 72-59 and earn their first ACC win of the season. Zania Jones’ two 3-pointers were SMU’s only made field goals in the entire second half, while Johnson and Khadija Faye led the way for Pitt with 22 and 21 points, respectively.

It’s rare to see a team have multiple players with double-digit positive and negative plus-minuses, but that was the case in this historic comeback. The Panthers were outscored by 20 and 16, respectively, in the minutes for when starters Aaryn Battle and Aislin Malcolm played. However, they won Johnson’s minutes by 26 and were an astounding plus-38 in the 30 minutes reserve Brooklyn Miles was on the court.

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Pitt needed the home win with ranked opponents NC State and North Carolina up next on the schedule. SMU’s upcoming docket is even more challenging, with the Tar Heels coming to Dallas followed by games against No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 14 Duke.

This has been an unmemorable season so far for the Panthers, who were below .500 entering Sunday and uncompetitive in most of their Quad 1 games. However, the comeback against the Mustangs is something their players, and this program, will never forget.

“That’s why I came to Pitt, there’s a lot of history to be made here, especially with women’s basketball,” junior Marley Washenitz said. “That’s what I came here to do, that’s what we all came here to do. And I’m just happy to say that I’ve been a part of something like this, so special, and to make history.”

(Photo: William Howard / USA Today)