Wildcats Edged by Pittsburgh 59-56 in Closing Seconds :: Adamshick had 20 points and nine rebounds in loss

Jan. 28, 2006

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Marcedes Walker converted a three-point play with 18 seconds left to give the Panthers the lead for good, and Pittsburgh (13-6, 4-4 Big East) defeated Villanova (12-7, 3-6 Big East) 59-56 in the closing seconds of a Big East Conference game on Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion. There were four ties and seven lead changes in the final 6:16 of the contest, but the Panthers scored the game's last seven points in the final 2:45 to emerge with the victory.

The final rally began with a layup by Mallorie Winn with 2:45 remaining to cut a four-point Wildcat margin to 56-54. After three successive misses from the field by each team, Walker drove to the basket for a layup and tied the game at 56-56. She was fouled on the play and converted the free throw to put Pittsburgh ahead.

After a missed basket by Villanova with nine seconds remaining, the Panthers rebounded and were fouled. Walker made one of two free throws and Pittsburgh led 58-56 with 8.5 seconds to play. The Wildcats were then unable to tie or take the lead on their ensuing possession, turning the ball over with two seconds left. Winn made a final free throw with nine-tenths of a second showing to close the scoring, and Villanova did not get off a final shot.

Adamshick led the Wildcats with 20 points and nine rebounds for the game, while senior center Kate Dessart Mager (Media, Pa.) contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Senior forward Liad Suez-Karni (Even-Yehuda, Israel) added nine points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

For the Panthers, Winn matched Adamshick's totals with 20 points and nine boards, while Walker had 17 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench. Xenia Stewart tallied 11 points and five rebounds for Pittsburgh, which maintained a 47-38 advantage on the glass.

Villanova led 27-24 at halftime and didn't surrender the lead until Stewart made a basket with 6:16 remaining to put Pittsburgh ahead 45-44 and kick off the succession of lead changes down the stretch. The Panthers had tied the game twice in the second half before taking the lead, but each time Adamshick answered with a basket to push the Wildcats back in front. Her layup with 12:34 to play forged a 36-34 lead and just over two minutes later she drilled the first of her two three-pointers for a 39-36 advantage.

Villanova was whistled for 15 fouls in the second half and the penalties began to pile up midway through the period. After going to the line just three times in the first half, Pittsburgh made nine of its 15 free throws in the second stanza over the last 8:31 of the game.

The Panthers held a 12-8 lead early on but a 10-0 spurt by the Wildcats in just two minutes gave Villanova an 18-12 advantage with 7:44 left in the opening half. Adamshick scored the first seven points of the run, which culminated in a three-pointer by redshirt freshman guard Siobhan O'Connor (West Chester, Pa.).

The six-point lead was as large as the Villanova advantage would get, but it stood up for nearly 22 minutes on the game clock until Stewart's basket at 6:16 gave Pittsburgh the lead for the first time since the score was 12-10 in the first half.

A crowd of 1,679 attended the game on Alumni Day at Villanova. The Wildcats, who have played three of their past four games at home, will return to action on the road Tuesday night with a 7:00 p.m. game at the University of South Florida. Villanova will play four of the next five games and five of the last eight overall on the road.

NOTES: The Wildcats made just 4-of-24 (16.7%) three-pointers for the game ... The Panthers had seven turnovers in the game and Villanova had 10 ... However, Pittsburgh committed just one turnover in the second half, compared to seven by the Wildcats ... Adamshick pulled down eight of her rebounds in the first half ... O'Connor scored all eight of her points in the first half ... Redshirt freshman forward Lisa Karcic (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) had six rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench ... The Panthers had foul troubles of their own in the second half, and Shavonte Zellous fouled out with 7:42 remaining ... Villanova made 14-of-18 foul shots on the afternoon, including 8-of-9 in the second half ... Adamshick had four free throws for the Wildcats, while Suez-Karni and O'Connor each made three foul shots ... Villanova lost for just the second time in its last eight games at the Pavilion ... Forty-eight former players returned to campus for the team's Alumni Day, and 20 suited up to play in the annual Blue-Gray Alumni Game ... The Gray team was a 47-44 winner in the contest.