During a game against the SMU Mustangs on Sunday, the Pitt Panthers made an incredible comeback, overturning a 32-point deficit with just over a minute and a half remaining in the first half. They dominated the second half, outscoring SMU 54-10 to equal the record for the largest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history.

Only once before has a women’s college basketball team come back from a deficit greater than 30 points. That instance occurred on February 18, 2006, when Texas State rallied from 32 points down to beat the University of Texas-San Antonio.

However, Pitt’s comeback stands out as even more remarkable.

In contrast to Texas State, Pitt did not need overtime to clinch their victory. They concluded the game with a score of 72-59, a decisive 13-point win.

This victory was essentially a dominating performance in the second half. Here’s how it unfolded:

What transpired in the second half?

SMU had a disastrous start to the second half, failing to score a single point in the third quarter, getting outscored 28-0. They missed all 11 field goal attempts and committed five turnovers. In stark contrast, Pitt excelled, shooting 11-for-16 from the field and making 4-of-6 attempts from three-point range.

Although SMU still maintained a lead as they entered the fourth quarter, the game’s momentum had completely shifted to Pitt. SMU managed to score 10 points in the fourth quarter, but it was far too little, too late.

In the second half, SMU’s shooting performance plummeted to 7%, with only one successful shot, a three-pointer from Zanai Jones with 6:49 remaining, giving SMU a temporary 54-52 lead, which would be their last advantage of the match.

Who shone for the Panthers?

Mikayla Johnson and Khadija Faye were the standout performers for Pitt, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively. On the other side, SMU’s Nya Robertson led all scorers with 23 points.

Is this the largest comeback in NCAA history?

For women, yes, as it ties with Texas State’s 2006 comeback over UTSA at 32 points, marking the largest recovery in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history. However, a larger comeback has occurred in the men’s game.

On February 22, 2018, Drexel managed to come back from a staggering 34-point deficit against Delaware, breaking a four-game losing streak. In that game, Delaware shot an impressive 62% from the field and 63% from three in the first half. Nonetheless, junior Tramaine Isabell scored 22 points in the second half, nearly outscoring Delaware on his own during the final 20 minutes. Drexel snatched victory with an 85-83 score, thanks to Isabell’s game-winning free throws with just 2.2 seconds remaining.

What’s next for Pitt?

Pitt’s upcoming game will be a challenging away match against the reigning NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks. The matchup is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, with the tip-off at 7 p.m. ET.