TicketsDec. 20, 2005
CINCINNATI, Ohio - For the fifth time in nine games the Bearcats put four players in double-figures as Cincinnati downed Toledo, 70-60, in women's basketball action on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena. The win was UC's 10th straight at home an improved its record to 8-1.
Treasure Humphries led UC with 14 points, three assists and four steals and freshman Shelly Bellman recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also added five assists and a block. Sisters Anne and Jill Stephens each scored 10 points and combined for 14 rebounds.
Toledo (5-3) was led by Danielle Bishop with 19 points and Diana Reindl added 16. The Bearcats held a 38 to 24 edge on the boards which led to 16 second chance points.
The Bearcats were able to take control of a game tied a halftime by shooting 69.6 percent in the second half and holding UT to 39.3 percent shooting.
"We guarded much better in the second half," said head coach Laurie Pirtle. "We were just off offensively most of the night. The positives are that we were able to allow them to make it a four point lead and adjust and fight back."
UC opened the second half with four points by Michelle Jones to take a 35-31 lead. Three minutes later, Kahla Roudebush drained a three-pointer to cap an 8-0 run that gave the Bearcats a 47-37 lead with 13:20 to play.
The lead was 11 when Reindl keyed a 9-0 run by the Rockets. Savannah Werner made three free throws to start it before Reindl scored the next six points, closing UT to 58-56 with 5:55 left.
The Bearcat guards would not give up the lead as Micah Harvey found Anne Stephens underneath for one of her five assists and Humphries made a steal and lay-up. Bellman capped the 6-0 spurt with an easy basket off a Harvey feed.
UT got no closer than six the rest of the way as Humphries and Bellman each went 2-for-2 from the line in the final minute.
UC now has a two-game road stretch to close non-conference play. The Bearcats travel to face Dayton on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. before playing at Oregon State on Dec. 29. UC is next at home when it opens its first season of BIG EAST play by hosting seventh-ranked Rutgers on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.
In the first half, the Bearcats' pressure defense resulted in a quick 6-1 lead after two minutes, as Anne Stephens found Bellman for an open jumper and then scored the next four points herself.
The Rocket offense started to wake up slowly while the UC offense began to sputter, missing many easy shots. Bishop started a 6-0 run with a jumper that produced an 11-10 lead for UT. After Bishop made a three for a two-point lead, the Bearcats scored 11of the next 14 points. Treasure Humphries scored twice in the run and added an assist as UC took a 23-17 lead with 9:24 to go.
Bishop's third three ended the UC run and was followed by a three-point play by Crystal Young and two triples by Kristi Zeller as UT took a 29-25 advantage with 6:34 left.
Roudebush keyed a 6-0 Bearcat run by finding Bellman on the break and making a pair of free throws as UC claimed a two-point advantage. UT tied the score at 31-31 with 3:25 left in the half and that's how the teams went into the lockerroom.
UC shot just .375 from the field and missed all four three-point shots. The Bearcats did make all seven free throws and held a 10 to 2 edge in second chance points. Jill Stephens led the Bearcats with six points and Anne Stephens had four points and four rebounds. Bellman had four points and three assists and Harvey carded five points and three steals.
The Rockets shot .462 from the field and made 5-of-10 three pointers. Bishop had a game-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The first half featured four ties and six lead changes.