Pittsburgh 63, Wyoming 58

3/22/2008 5:38 PM

By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -Pitt survived in The Pit.

Shavonte Zellous scored 21 points, Sophronia Sallard had 15 and Mallorie Winn hit a huge 3-pointer with 2:27 remaining to help Pittsburgh beat Wyoming 63-58 on Saturday in the NCAA's first round.

Winn's shot put Pittsburgh (23-10) ahead for good in a seesaw contest that featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes.

``I was rushing my shots,'' said Winn, who missed her first four 3-point tries. ``I felt that was the first good one I got off. I think people know I'm a 3-point shooter, so they know not to leave me open.''

The No. 6 seeded Panthers (23-10) held on despite a sluggish performance by standout center Marcedes Walker, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half but was slowed by foul trouble.

``I was pretty frustrated,'' Walker said. ``But I knew my team was playing well, so I didn't show any emotion. It's not just about me.''

Pitt will meet No. 3 Baylor in the second round.

Justyna Podziemska led the No. 11 seeded Cowgirls (24-7) with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting while Jodi Bolerjack and Hanna Zavecz each scored 10. But Wyoming, making its first NCAA tournament appearance, just couldn't take over.

Podziemska put the Cowgirls ahead 54-53 on a 3-pointer with 4:03 remaining, but no lead held much value in this nail-biter until Winn broke free at the other end and made a shot from the left corner.

``They always say if you're a shooter you keep putting it up,'' Winn said.

Winn let it fly, despite an 0-for-5 effort from the floor up to that point.

``Mallorie really has a lot of confidence, and the team has a lot of confidence in her,'' Pitt coach Agnus Berenato said. ``She could miss 10 in a row and I guarantee you that if she's open, she's still going to shoot the next one.''

From there, Pitt tightened the defense and held the Cowgirls without a field goal for 3 1/2 minutes down the stretch. Walker, Winn and Zellous made 5-of-6 down the stretch from the free throw line to put it away.

``There was a timeout with about three minutes left in the game,'' Winn said. ``I told everyone, 'This could be the end of our season if we don't pick it up.' We made it a point to focus on 25 (Podziemska).''

Bolerjack missed a 3-point try with 1:10 remaining, and she was unable to draw a foul despite contact with a defender. That possession could have gotten the Cowgirls within 58-57.

``That was a big miss,'' Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. ``We miss an open 3, a big shot. We could have closed it to a 1-point game with a minute to go, then Pitt stepped to the line and made free throws. That's how you close it out.''

The Cowgirls got a final chance after Zellous missed her only free throw in eight attempts with 25.7 seconds to go and Pitt leading 61-56. But Wyoming's Dominique Sisk was called for an offensive foul at the other end.

The Cowgirls had plenty of support - several thousand fans who made the 8-hour drive from Laramie, Wyo. Until Sisk's foul call, they raised the noise level nearly every time Wyoming made a run or a defensive stop.

``We played very confidently and like we had nothing to lose,'' Zavecz said. ``They're a very talented team. You could tell they've been in situations like that before. They made a big play and we couldn't respond.''

Pitt struggled without Walker on the floor. She sat 12 minutes in the first half with foul trouble, then provided a spark by scoring seven of Pitt's first nine second-half points as the Panthers built a 39-36 lead.

Fortunately for the Panthers, Sallard's 6-for-6 shooting kept them close.

``It was huge,'' Zellous said. ``It helped that she was making shots while Marcedes was on the bench and Mallorie wasn't shooting well.''