Pitt women's basketball team upset in ACC Tournament by Virginia Tech

While the Pitt men's basketball team are stumbling towards the finish line of the season, the women's team is doing the same.

The Panthers have lost three out of their past four games and dropped their first ACC Tournament game to 12-19 Virginia Tech on Thursday, 51-45. Seventh-seeded Pitt scored only 17 points in the first half. The No. 15 seeded Hokies also beat No. 10 seed North Carolina State before knocking off the Panthers.

Brianna Kiesel, easily the team's best player, had a rough night despite nearly notching a double double. She had nine points and ten rebounds in 40 minutes of play, but also shot only 4-15 from the field and was 1-5 from the free throw line, balancing out two assists with two turnovers.

The loss sort of complicates things for Pitt. By last check, ESPN's Bracketology had them in the NCAA Tournament, but only as a falling No. 10 seed. The Panthers not only suffered a loss here, but to a very bad team. That will surely hurt their standing and while it still looks as if they may get in, I'm not sure it's the lock it looked like a few weeks ago.

Seven of the team's 11 losses have come to ranked teams and the Panthers also have a big win over a top ten North Carolina team on their resume. A win here would have gotten Pitt to 20 wins and likely cemented their NCAA Tournament status.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.