Women’s Hoops Opens 2022-23 Campaign At Coppin State Monday Night

PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team will officially open up their 2022-23 campaign Monday night on the road against Coppin State. Tip is set for 7:00 pm in Baltimore.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Monday's game will be streamed by clicking HERE.
You can also listen to the game on the radio on WJAS 1320 AM or 99.1 FM as the voice of Pitt women's basketball, Josh Rowntree, will have the call from Baltimore starting at 6:45 pm.
Live stats of the game can be found by clicking HERE.
Live updates throughout the game will also be posted on Twitter by following the Pitt women's basketball account @Pitt_WBB.

STORYLINES

The Panthers are returning 70.2% of their scoring and 71.9% of their rebounding from a season ago. In all, Pitt lost four letterwinners from last season.
The 2022-23 version of the Panthers will look a little different as they welcome five newcomers to the squad. Pitt added two graduate transfers in Gabby Hutcherson (Ohio State) and Channise Lewis (Maryland) while signing three freshmen in Marley Washenitz, Aislin Malcolm and Avery Strickland.
Last season, the Panthers led the ACC and ranked ninth in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.9 rpg) while leading the ACC and ranking 15th in offensive rebounds per game (15.4 orpg).

THE OPENING TIP

The Panthers will open up their 2022-23 season on the road Monday night as they head to Baltimore to take on Coppin State at 7 pm.
The Panthers will be looking to continue their strong defense this season after being one of just two teams (South Carolina - national champs) to hold at least 29 opponents to 45% or less shooting from the floor last season.
Junior Liatu King ended last season with five straight games scoring in double figures as she took over some of the scoring load for the Panthers. Over her final five games, King averaged 12.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 42.2% from the floor.

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINATION

The Panthers have been dominant in the non-conference portion of their schedule over the past couple seasons. Pitt secured their 17th winning season in the last 18 in the non-conference portion of their schedule last season.
Pitt finished off the 2021-22 campaign with a 9-2 (.818) non-conference record. The .818 winning percentage marked the best for Pitt since 2009-10 (11-2, .846).
Over the last eight years, Pitt owns a 59-32 (.644) record against non-conference opponents.
Pitt was a perfect 6-0 at home last season against non-conference foes, outscoring them by nearly 20 points per game.

REBOUNDING UNDER COACH WHITE

Entering the 2022-23 season, Pitt has upped their rebounds per game average from 33.1 in 2017-18 (before White arrived) to 43.9 last season (+10.8 rpg), the 2nd biggest jump in the nation over the span (from 2018-19 to present).
Pitt was ranked 325th in the NCAA in rebounds per game prior to White's arrival in 2017-18 and is currently ranked 9th in the NCAA in rebounds per game last season, a 316 spot improvement and biggest in the country.
The biggest area of development from last season to this season on the glass has been on the defensive end of the court. Pitt averaged 28.3 defensive rebounds per game last season, +2.7 drpg from the 2020-21 season.

REBOUNDS PER GAME (from 2018-Pres.)
Team             RPG +    NCAA Rank (Jump)
Georgia So.      13.1           271 to 4 (+267)
PITT               10.8           325 to 9 (+316)

TRANSFERS BRINGING THE EXPERIENCE

With the changing of the game in the last couple years, the transfer market has become more prevalent.
The Panthers were able to grab a pair of highly-touted and highly sought after transfers this season in Maryland guard Channise Lewis and Ohio State forward Gabby Hutcherson.
Lewis chose Pitt because her familiarity with Coach White as he recruited her out of high school. She spent the last five seasons at Maryland where she fought injuries for the last three seasons.
In her career as a Terrapin, Lewis appeared in 77 games and made 45 starts while averaging 25.1 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 39.3% from the floor and 36.1% from behind the arc.
As a freshman in 2017-18, Lewis ranked second among NCAA freshman in assists per game (4.8 apg) while also being added to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List.
Out of high school, Lewis was rated as the No. 55 prospect in the nation after leading Miami Country Day high school to two state titles.
Hutcherson comes to Pitt after spending the last two seasons at Ohio State where she saw limited minutes off the bench for the deep and talented squad.
Over her two seasons in Columbus, Hutcherson averaged 10.9 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 39.1% from the floor and 35.2% from behind the arc.
The talented forward was rated as a five-star recruit and was the No. 12 ranked player in her class out of high school.
She finished her high school career with a 62-17 record and a pair of district titles over her final three seasons.

FRESHMEN BRING WINNING ATTITUDE TO PITTSBURGH

The Panthers brought in their highest ranked recruiting class since Coach White took over the program this year. The three newcomers all bring a winning mentality to the Panthers' squad.
Local standout Aislin Malcolm was the highest ranked signee for the Panthers as she was rated as the No. 98 recruit in the nation as well as the No. 3 recruit in Pennsylvania.
Malcolm helped turn Chartiers Valley into a perennial power in the state of Pennsylvania as she finished off her career owning a 110-7 overall record including a Pennsylvania state record 64-game winning streak from her freshman season until her junior season.
Finished off her high school career as a three-time First Team All-State honoree. She was also Chartiers Valley's all-time leading scorer (1,770 points) and all-time leader in three-point field goals (280). Her 280 triples also rank third in WPIAL women's basketball history.
Marley Washenitz joins the Panthers after a very successful high school career at Fairmont Senior high school in West Virginia.
She was a two-time West Virginia State Player of the Year and four-time First Team All-State honoree during her career.
Finished off her impressive high school career with 2,000 points, 781 rebounds, 512 steals and 464 assists while being named 2021 Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year.
The third freshman that will be looking to make an immediate impact is Avery Strickland.
The Knoxville, TN native comes to Pitt after a strong career at Farragut high school where she helped her team advance to their first State title game last season.
Closed out her senior season averaging 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 48% from the floor as her squad went 28-9.
She was an All-State performer in three sports during her high school career (Track & Field, Basketball, Softball).

NEXT UP

The Panthers will return home Saturday, Nov. 12 as they welcome George Mason to the Petersen Events Center for their home opener.
Saturday's game will air on ACC Network Extra at 6:00 pm.

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Women’s Hoops Opens 2022-23 Campaign At Coppin State Monday Night

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