Pittsburgh's win vs. SMU makes NCAA women's basketball feat not seen in 19 years
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The Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team made NCAA women's basketball history on Sunday, rallying from a 32-point deficit to defeat the SMU Mustangs 72-59. The win ties the largest comeback in NCAA Division I women's basketball history, matching Texas State's 2006 win over UTSA but with one key difference: Pitt's comeback did not require overtime.
Trailing 52-44 heading into the fourth quarter, Pitt unleashed a dominant second half, outscoring SMU 54-10, as reported by Jon Hoefling of USA Today. The Mustangs were held scoreless in the third quarter, missing all 11 of their field goal attempts and committing five turnovers as Pitt surged ahead. The Panthers' offense, meanwhile, was firing on all cylinders, going 11-for-16 from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range during the third quarter.
Mikayla Johnson and Khadija Faye led Pitt's scoring effort with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Faye's presence in the paint was a key factor in the Panthers' ability to claw back into the game, while Johnson's perimeter shooting kept the momentum firmly in their favor. SMU's leading scorer, Nya Robertson, finished with 23 points, but her team was unable to find offensive rhythm after halftime.
SMU's struggles extended into the fourth quarter, where they managed just 10 points. The Mustangs hit only one field goal in the second half — a three-pointer by Zanai Jones with 6:49 remaining, which briefly gave SMU a 54-52 lead. However, Pittsburgh women's basketball responded with a 20-5 run to close out the game, sealing their historic comeback with a commanding 13-point margin.
LARGEST COMEBACK IN NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY @Pitt_WBB completed a 32-point deficit to defeat SMU pic.twitter.com/ddseLfcHUO
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) January 12, 2025
The win marks only the second time in NCAA women's basketball history that a team has overcome a deficit of 30 points or more. Pitt’s feat stands out for its efficiency, as the Panthers completed the comeback in regulation, unlike Texas State's overtime win in 2006.
“I’ve heard from coaches all over the country … It’s just, the messages that I got were like ‘Wow, that was amazing. I’ve never seen that before.’ That was fun. Certainly appreciate all the messages, a lot of love,” said Pittsburgh women’s basketball second-year head coach Tory Verdi in an interview with ACC Network on Monday. “The storyline was you could get back in the game if you believed, and we believed, we fought and we made it happen. I think a lot of people appreciated that.”
Pittsburgh women's basketball now faces a significant challenge in their next matchup, traveling to face defending NCAA champion South Carolina on Thursday, Jan. 16. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will test whether Pitt can carry their momentum against one of the nation's best programs.
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