Panthers Open Season Wednesday with UCF

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team will officially open the 2018-19 season Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. when UCF visits the Petersen Events Center.

Wednesday's game will also mark the 10^th Annual School Day, in which local students will be in attendance for one of the largest educational field trips in the country.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN App. Drew Brown and Amanda Silay will provide the commentary for the season opener.
Fans can tune into 1320 AM WJAS for the Pitt IMG Sports Network broadcast of the game, with Josh Rowntree on the call. Fans can also listen online at PittsburghPanthers.com.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates throughout the game and a behind-the-scenes look.

A WIN WOULD...

Improve the Panthers' record to 31-13 in season openers.
Improve Pitt to 33-12 in home openers and 13-4 in home openers at the Petersen Events Center (since opening in 2002-03 season).
Mark the fourth consecutive home opening victory for the Panthers.
Be the first head coaching victory for first-year leader Lance White.
Give the Panthers the series advantage over the Knights as the game is the first meeting between the two programs.
Be the 137th victory for the women's program at the Petersen Events Center, with the all-time record currently sitting at 136-108 (.557).

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt defeated NCAA Division II powerhouse Gannon of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), 68-46, in its lone exhibition of the 2018-19 season Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Petersen Events Center.
Senior Danielle Garven delivered a standout performance to pace the Pitt offense, tallying a game-high 20 points, adding nine rebounds in her final season debut.
Teammates Jasmine Whitney (13 points) and Aysia Bugg (11 points) also aided a Panther offense that downed the Golden Knights 68-46.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS

With 22 victories last season, UCF tied its most wins in a single season as an NCAA Division I program. The last time the Knights reached the mark came in 2010-11.
The Knights are coming off their first back-to-back 20-win campaign since a four-season stretch from 1981-85.
For the first time in program history, UCF received votes in the USA Today/WBCA Preseason Top 25 poll, released Nov. 1.
The UCF defense held opponents to 56.4 points per game a year ago, which ranked 17th nationally.
Kay Kay Wright returns as the leader of the Knights offense after posting impressive numbers in her sophomore campaign. She scored in double figures 22 times as a sophomore, after accomplishing the feat just four times during her freshman campaign.
UCF added three freshmen to its roster in 2018-19, and Sianni Martin and Anna Kelly will also be eligible to play for the Knights this season after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.

SCHOOL DAY IS BACK

The Panthers' season opener against UCF (Nov. 7) marks the 10th year of the School Day promotion at Petersen Events Center. School Day is an opportunity for local area students to visit one of the top research universities in the country and watch live Division I basketball while participating in fun contests and learning activities.
The School Day game dates back to November 2009. Pitt is 7-2 all-time when hosting the promotion, winning its last three consecutive contests.
Last season, a School Day-record 10,587 fans attended the game, besting the previous mark of 9,771 set in 2016.

ZELLOUS RETURNS FOR OPENER

University of Pittsburgh women's basketball All-American Shavonte Zellous is set to return to the Petersen Events Center Wednesday, Nov. 7, for the Panthers' season opener against UCF
One of the most prolific student-athletes to come through the University of Pittsburgh, Zellous was a District 1 WBCA All-America selection and Third Team Associated Press All-America selection in 2009. The Orlando native was also a three-time First Team All-Big East selection during the course of her career. As a sophomore, Zellous was part of a historic Panther squad that made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2007. Pitt then went on to make back-to-back appearances in the Sweet Sixteen her junior and senior seasons.
Zellous' name is etched all over the Pitt basketball record book as she left the program on top of various categories including career made free throws (793), points in a season (747 / 08-09) and free throws made in a season (198 / 08-09). The guard ranks third in career points (2,251) and ranks second in most points in a game (42 vs. Florida / Dec. 21, 2008).
Following her collegiate career, Zellous was selected by the Detroit Shock in the first round of the 2009 WNBA Draft as the 11^th overall selection. In her first season with the Shock, Zellous was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 11.9 points and was second in the league with 155 free throws made.
In May of 2010, Zellous was traded to the Indiana Fever where she spent six seasons. With the Fever, she won a WNBA Championship in 2012, was an Eastern Conference All-Star and was named the WNBA's Most Improved Player in 2013. Zellous and the Fever reached the Finals again in 2015.
In February of 2016, the former Panther signed as a free agent with the New York Liberty. She has appeared in 89 games through three seasons with the Liberty, playing in 22 outings before sustaining a season ending injury.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Panthers continue their four-game homestand, hosting New Orleans Friday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.
Pitt will wrap up its homestand against Youngstown State (Nov. 13) and Cincinnati (Nov. 16) before hitting the road for five straight games.

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