TicketsBearcats Fall to No. 17 DePaul, 67-55
Contact: Geoff Wiswell
2/7/2005
Micah Harvey has handed out 22 assists in the last two games. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio ? Despite a strong defensive effort, Cincinnati was topped by No. 17 DePaul, 67-55, in Conference USA women?s basketball action on Monday night at Fifth Third Arena.
The Blue Demons (19-3, 8-1 C-USA) came into the game leading the nation with an 84.1 points per game average. UC (7-15, 2-7) slowed the game down with a zone defense and by not allowing DPU to get out on the fast break. The 67 points was the fourth-lowest scored by DePaul this year.
?I thought we lacked intensity and execution,? said head coach Laurie Pirtle. ?We had a good chance to knock them off tonight and we didn?t take advantage. If we executed a little more on offense this would have been a much closer game.?
Both teams shot over 40 percent for the game and made six three-pointers. DePaul outscored UC, 11-3, at the free throw line.
Allie Quigley led DePaul with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Khara Smith, who averages 19 points and 12 rebounds, was held to eight points and six rebounds.
Anne Stephens led UC with 20 points, while Karen Twehues scored 17, making five three-pointers. Edwina Williams set a career-high with eight rebounds and Micah Harvey handed out 10 assists, her second-straight double-digit assist game.
The Blue Demons started out hot, making nine of their first 11 shots. Quigley scored their first seven points as DPU went ahead 10-4 with 16:32 to go.
Stephens answered with consecutive baskets for UC to close to 10-8, but the Blue Demons scored the next 11 points to take a 21-8 lead with Jenni Dant?s three-pointer at the 12:48 mark.
The Bearcat defense then tightened, holding DPU without a field goal for nearly eight minutes. Twehues hit a trey to spark a 12-2 UC run. Stephens ended the run with two scores, closing the gap to 23-20 with 6:50 to go.
Two minutes later Williams hit a jumper and Twehues followed with a triple to tie the game at 27-27 with 4:17 to go.
Quigley responded with another trey and Jenna Rubino scored five points in the final two minutes to give DePaul a 35-29 lead at the end of the half.
Stephens led UC with 10 points and Twehues had eight at the break. UC was outrebounded, 20-12, but committed just two turnovers.
DPU finished shooting 54 percent for the half and was led by Quigley?s 14 points. The Blue Demons made 4-of-8 three-pointers.
In the second half Twehues made a three-pointer two minutes in to close to 38-34, but the DePaul defense clamped down. The Bearcats, who made just two turnovers in the first half, made eight in the first seven minutes of the second half, allowing DPU to go on an 11-2 run.
Quigley scored five points in the run, which gave the Blue Demons a 49-36 lead with 12:29 to go.
A Twehues trey and Williams jumper closed the gap to 49-41 with 11:40 left, but UC got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
UC?s swarming zone defense helped slow down the game, as both teams struggled in the final 10 minutes. DePaul put together a late 8-0 run to take a 67-49 lead, its largest of the game, but Twehues and Toni Slaughter made threes in the final minute to produce the final score.
The Bearcats are 0-2 against ranked teams this year, falling to No. 15 Michigan State earlier this year, and have not beat a ranked opponent since a 75-59 win over No. 19 Xavier in 2000-01.
UC takes to the road next weekend, facing East Carolina on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. and Charlotte on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.