The Pitt women's basketball team knew going into its regular-season finale against No. 18 St. John's that it needed an upset over a Top 25 team.
That, coupled with a few wins in the Big East Tournament, would give them their best chance possible of being considered for the NCAA Tournament, which they host this year.
The Panthers didn't get it. They trailed for all but brief moments against the Red Storm at Petersen Events Center on Monday and closed the regular season with a 77-65 loss.
"It was a tough year, and we came into (Monday) believing we were going to win," coach Agnus Berenato said. "At halftime, I felt we made some adjustments and really thought we were going to take it away."
Pitt was on the verge of doing that for the first 13 minutes of the second half. The Panthers opened with a 10-4 run to tie it, which they'd do another five times before St. John's took the lead for good.
"I was very disappointed in some of our shots," Berenato said. "The first half we gave up second and third shots, and that's what killed us. The second half we took care of that, but we missed layups and we didn't get rebounds."
The Panthers had won four out of their past five games, their best stretch of the Big East season. They finish the regular season 16-13 (5-11 Big East) heading into the conference tournament, which begins Friday in Hartford.
No. 18 St. John's came into the game with 23 wins, the most victories for the program since 1983-84, and finished 24-5 (12-4 Big East). The Red Storm were led by Kelly McManmon, with 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting from 3-point range.
Junior forward Chelsea Cole fouled out with a minute left but had her eighth double-double of the season and fifth in a row, with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
"The only thing I can say is Coach B keeps saying follow our lead, and when you want it bad enough you'll do what it takes," Cole said of her streak.
Junior guard Brittany Thomas led the team with a career-high 27 points, and junior guard Shayla Scott had a career-high five blocks to go along with four points and nine rebounds coming off the bench.
Pitt trailed for all but four minutes in the first half, using an 11-4 run to take a three-point lead at the midway point. But the Red Storm tied it with a 3-pointer from Kelly McManmon - her fourth such bucket of the first half - and sparked a 10-0 run from which Pitt never recovered.
The Panthers trailed, 35-29, at halftime. St. John's outscored Pitt, 12-4, on second-chance points and 14-8 in the paint in the first half despite the Panthers' size advantage.
