March 7, 2008

HARTFORD, Conn. - Pitt was rewarded for its successful season as four players were named to All-Big East teams Friday night at the tournament banquet. Marcedes Walker, Shavonte Zellous, Chelsea Cole and Taneisha Harrison all earned honors voted on by league coaches.

Zellous (Orlando, Fla./Jones) picks up her second All-Big East team honor, being named to the first team for the second consecutive season. Zellous, last season's Most Improved Player, led the Panthers in scoring with 18.9 points per game and was third in league scoring.

Zellous, a junior guard, tallied four 30-point games on the year and had 13 20-point contests, which is second in the Big East. This season, Zellous was named the Big East Player of the Week three times, which ties a Pitt record.

Walker (Philadelphia, Pa./University City) became Pitt's second four-time All-Big East team member with a second team nod. As a freshman, she was named to the honorable mention team and has earned first team honors her sophomore and junior seasons.

The senior center leads the conference in offensive rebounds and is second in overall rebounding. Walker recently became the all-time rebounding leader in Pitt history with 1,114 in four seasons and is just the second player in Pitt history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. She is also the Big East's active leader in career double-doubles with 51.

Cole (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) was named to the All-Freshman team after her solid rookie year. The 6-3 forward earned a start in five games this season and averaged 5.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. She also is fifth in the Big East in blocked shots with 1.31 per game, leading the team with 35 on the year.

Harrison (Bowie, Md./St. John's College), also named to the All-Freshman team, started four games for the Panthers this season. Off the bench, she averaged 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in over 19 minutes of play. The 6-0 guard is a valuable defensive threat, leading the team in steals with 31.

The fifth-seeded Panthers will face No. 12 seed Villanova in the first round of the tournament Saturday at noon. If Pitt is to advance, it will face No. 4 seed Notre Dame Sunday at noon.

The game will be televised live on FSN Pittsburgh. Action from all Pitt tournament games can be heard live locally on FOX Sports Radio 970 AM with Greg Linnelli and Jen Tuscano with the call. On the web, all games can be heard live as a part of Panthers All-Access on www.pittsburghpanthers.com.