No. 14 Pittsburgh 72, Villanova 63

1/30/2008 9:03 PM

By BOB LENTZ
Associated Press Writer

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) -Marcedes Walker put on a show for her hometown crowd.

Walker dominated the inside and finished with a game-best 23 points and nine rebounds in her return to Philadelphia, leading the No. 14 Panthers to a 72-63 victory over Villanova on Wednesday night.

``It feels good to get this win in my hometown,'' said Walker, a standout at University City High.

Mallorie Winn chipped in with 18 points as Pitt withstood a tough second-half challenge and extended its winning streak to 11 games, the team's longest run since opening the 2006-07 season 12-0.

Xenia Stewart added 14 points, and Shavonte Zellous had 13 for the Panthers (17-3, 7-0 Big East) who prepped for Saturday's key conference matchup against No. 4 Rutgers with a win.

But Wednesday night the Panthers' focus was squarely on Villanova, which was coming off a tough loss to Rutgers. And it is no surprise that Walker was the catalyst.

``I talked to Marcedes for the last three days about coming home,'' said Pitt coach Agnus Berenato, who hails from nearby Gloucester City, N.J. ``She was so happy to come home.

``She is a totally different person from when she left, and I think she is proud of who she is.''

Laura Kurz led Villanova (12-9, 2-6) with 19 points. Tia Grant scored 15 and Stacie Witman finished with 10.

The Wildcats relied on their long-range shooting to stay within striking distance of the Panthers, but faded in the second half. Villanova shot 9-for-27 from 3-point range.

``We're much better than last year, but if you look at the wins and losses you wouldn't know it,'' Villanova coach Harry Perretta said.

Villanova, which has taken half its shots from beyond the arc and entered the game shooting 38 percent (201-for-528) from 3-point range, has lost four of its last five and six of eight.

``It's a tough way to live, but it is the only way for us to compete with these teams because, athletically, we have a tough time matching up,'' Perretta said of his team's dependence on the 3.

Nova refused to buckle under Pitt's stepped-up second-half defense, and the outcome was in doubt until about six minutes remained.

Consecutive baskets by Stewart gave Pitt a 10-point lead at 54-44, and Walker followed with a putback of her own miss and a free throw to stretch the lead to 57-44.

Nova hung around and tried to make a game of it down the stretch, closing within five points, 65-60, on a 3-pointer by Siobhan O'Connor with less than two minutes remaining. But the Panthers were too much.

``Last year, we would not have even competed in the game,'' Perretta said. ``This year, we're much better; we're competing, but I just don't know if we are good enough to beat a quality opponent.''

Zellous quieted the crowd with a driving layup that pushed the lead back to seven points and, after a rebound, made one of two free throws for an eight-point cushion with 48 seconds left.

Pitt's slow start in the second half fueled Villanova's hope for an upset. The Panthers missed their first six shots until Zellous hit a runner at the 16:17 mark.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats were on the move. A pair of driving layups by Grant at the start of the second half pulled Villanova within two points, and a putback of a 3-point miss by Kurz tied the score at 17:35. A jumper by Kurz moments later put the Wildcats ahead.

But ultimately, the Panthers' strong inside game proved too difficult to handle.

``We had to come out and crowd them and make them put it on the ground,'' Walker said. ``In the first half, we did an OK job, but in the second half, we did a better job playing the screens and getting the rebounds.''

Hard as they tried, the Panthers couldn't shake Villanova in the first half, despite the Wildcats' tepid shooting. Pitt moved out to an eight-point lead at the 8:17 mark, but Nova battled back and got within two points late in the half. But a lay-in and two free throws by Walker bumped the Panthers' lead to six points, 32-26, at the break.

Villanova was 6-for-16 from long range in the first half and 9-for-29 (31 percent) overall.

Conversely, Pitt concentrated on working the ball inside and capitalized from short range, shooting 13-for-26 overall and a conservative 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.