Pitt’s surprise likely to end Irish NCAA streak
GREENSBORO, S.C. — Dayshanette Harris hit the go-ahead jumper with 2.7 seconds to play and stole Notre Dame’s ensuing inbound pass as Pittsburgh beat the Fighting Irish 67-65 Wednesday for just its second victory ever in the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament.
Pitt (5-25) snapped a 12-game skid in the series, with the streak of losses dating to Feb. 3, 2009, and likely put an end to a string of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances by the Fighting Irish. The Panthers, who had lost nine straight games overall, won for just the second time since beating Ole Miss 58-50 on Nov. 30.
Harris finished with 20 points and a career-high 10 rebounds — the freshman’s first double-double. Gabbie Green was 4-for-5 from 3-point range in a 14-point performance, and Amber Brown and Ismini Prapa added 12 points apiece. Prapa, who entered averaging 1.5 points per game this season, was 4-for4 from the field and set career highs for points, 3-pointers made (four) and assists (three).
Notre Dame tried to trap Harris at the end of the game, but she tiptoed along the right sideline to slip past the double team and then pulled up for a short tiebreaking jumper. The Fighting Irish called a timeout, moving to the ball to the front court, but Harris anticipated the inbound pass and her steal sealed the win.
The No. 15 seed Panthers faced seventh-seeded Georgia Tech in the second round today.
Katlyn Gilbert led Notre Dame (13-18) with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The rest of the team shot just 31% (15-of-48).
› Wake Forest 87, North Carolina 73
Ivana Raca tied her career high with 27 points and grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds, and
Alex Sharp scored 16 of her 19 points in the second half as Wake Forest advanced.
Sharp added 10 rebounds to move past Tracy Connor into third in program history with 907 career rebounds. Christina Morra had a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, and Gina Conti scored 10 points for Wake Forest (15-15).
The No. 13-seeded Demon Deacons face fifth-seeded Virginia Tech in the second round. The Hokies won the only regular-season matchup between the teams 73-62.
Conti hit a 3-pointer and Morra sandwiched a jumper and a layup around a 3 by Sharp to give Wake Forest a 71-58 lead with 7:26 to play. Shayla Bennett hit a 3-pointer for the 12th-seeded Tar Heels (16-14), but Raca answered with a layup to spark an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 18 points midway through the fourth.
› Clemson 71, Miami 56 Kobi Thornton scored a career-high 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting, and Clemson used a 16-4 run to pull away for good and eliminate Miami in Greensboro.
Amari Robinson added 14 points for No. 14 seed Clemson (8-22), which snapped an 11-game skid.
Thornton scored seven points during the decisive run that gave Clemson a 55-44 lead when Robinson made a short jumper at the end of the third quarter. No. 11 seed Miami (15-15) trailed by double figures the rest of the way.