Jeff Capel Praises Pitt Women's Basketball's Historic Comeback

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers women's basketball made an incredible comeback in their win against SMU at the Petersen Events Center on Jan. 12, receiving praise from all over the country and in the game.

Pitt trailed 46-14 late in the second quarter and 49-18 at halftime, as SMU shot 10-for-19 from 3-point range, 52.6%, and 13-for-14 from the foul line, while Pitt shot 6-for-28 from the field, 21.4%, and 1-for-9 from 3-point range, 11.1%.

The Panthers would then hold the Mustangs scoreless while adding 28 points themselves in the third quarter, as they shot 10-for-16 from the field, 62.5% , and 4-for-6 from deep, while the Mustangs missed all 13 shots they took.

Pitt continued that comeback into the fourth quarter, as they outscored SMU 26-10 and to 2-for-15 shooting from the field, earning the 72-59 victory.

They tied the biggest comeback ever in Division I, as their 32-point deficit was the same as Texas State, who trailed UTSA 40-8 before winning 73-71 in overtime on Feb. 18, 2006. This is the biggest comeback in regulation in Division I history.

The Panthers earned their first ACC victory and ended both a three-game losing streak and an eight-game conference losing streak that dated back to last season.

Pitt has dealt with numerous set backs this season, with two players out with season-ending injuries in Kentucky transfer/junior guard Amiya Jenkins and freshman forward Kiara Williams, and another player out for an extended time in sophomore Lauren Rust.

Panthers head coach Tory Verdi also dismissed senior guard Bella Perkins from the program on Dec. 4, losing four of his players within the first month of the season.

Verdi has experience building up programs at Eastern Michigan and UMass and is trying to do the same with Pitt, who hasn't made an NCAA Tournament or had a winning season in almost 10 years.

Panthers men's basketball head coach Jeff Capel had that same challenge when he took over in 2018, after the program finished 8-24 overall and 0-18 in the ACC in Kevin Stallings' last season.

It took him five years to get Pitt back to the NCAA Tournament and he has his team primed to do the same this season, but it took time and learning for him to get the program to the place it is now.

Capel said in his zoom press conference on Jan. 13 that he didn't watch the women's basketball comeback, but that he's happy for the team and that he hopes they use this for motivation the rest of the season.

“I did not. I didn’t see any of it. I just saw the score at the end and really happy for them," Capel said. "They’ve been through a lot, you know, I know what it’s like to rebuild a program or try to rebuild or take over something that, when you got there, it’s in not-as-good of shape as you thought it was in, even though you knew it was in bad shape and, you know, to have a game where they were down like that and to come back, it’s a testament to the young ladies in the program, the coaching staff.

"Just really, really happy for them to have a moment like that and hopefully it’s something that they can build off of," he added.

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