A player scoring lots of points often grabs the headlines. But basketball is a two-way sport, and Pitt sophomore Yacine Diop proved it is possible to lead a team to a win by playing great on the other end of the floor.
Diop scored only six points but was the Panthers’ most important player as they beat Wagner, 67-41, in front of a “school day” crowd of 3,806 Friday at Petersen Events Center for their season opener.
Wagner came to town boasting Division I’s second-leading scorer from a year ago, Jasmine Nwajei, and Diop was given the tough task of guarding her.
Diop limited Nwajei, who averaged 24.8 points per game in 2014-15, to six points and 2-for-13 shooting.
Pitt coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said Diop’s role as a defensive stopper isn’t always a fun one for players, but it is crucial to a team’s success, especially against a big-time scorer such as Nwajei.
“I don’t think any player wants to be the defensive stopper because they all want to be scorers, but it is something that we have asked Yacine to do and she takes pride in her defense,” McConnell-Serio said.
Diop said she knew she had a big challenge playing against Nwajei, but also knew if she didn’t do her job defensively, the Panthers would have a tough time.
“I was focused on guarding her; I took it personally,” Diop said. “I said ‘There is no way this kid is going to come in and score 20 points or even 15 points on me; that is not going to happen.’ So I was focused on her and making sure she didn’t get her shots or get her points.”
Diop, a Seton-LaSalle graduate, wasn’t the only former WPIAL star to stand out for the Panthers. They also got a big game from freshman Brenna Wise, who played at Vincentian.
Wise recorded a double-double — 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds — in her first collegiate game, and provided a spark with a couple of hustle plays in the third quarter when the Panthers made a run to take control.
It was a special day for Wise, not only because it was her first game, but because she attended a number of Pitt’s school day games growing up. Now she got to see it from the other side.
“It was weird not being in the stands for this one, but rather now I’m in the uniform,” Wise said. “But this is what I have dreamed of. … There were 3,000 screaming kids in the stands, that provided a lot of high energy, and it was a lot of fun and we were appreciative of all of them coming. I’ve always dreamt of putting on a uniform and I remember being here watching them and seeing them smiling out there and having fun.”
Aysia Bugg led the Panthers with 12 points and four assists, and Pitt also got 11 points from freshman Kauai Bradley, and 10 points and eight rebounds from Stasha Carey.
McConnell-Serio said it was nice to get contributions from so many players, but that’s the way the Panthers will have to do it every game without a scorer as dynamic as Brianna Kiesel, who graduated.
“We will get better with each and every game; this experience is key for this team,” McConnell-Serio said. “We were able to get each and every player on the court, get their feet wet and a taste of a real game, and it was a great day all around.
“We never know where the scoring is going to come from, and on any given day it can be a different player leading us.”
Sofia Roma led Wagner with eight points and five rebounds.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com and Twitter @paulzeise.
First Published: November 14, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
