TicketsDec. 14, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Bearcats were on the verge of a signature BIG EAST win, but No. 16 and undefeated Louisville slipped through with a 67-62 win at Freedom Hall on Thursday. Cincinnati (7-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) led for all but two minutes of the contest, but the Cardinals (10-0, 1-0 BIG EAST) came up with the plays it needed to pull off the comeback.
The Bearcats played a flawless first half, and owned a 42-32 lead after 20 minutes of play. Michelle Jones converted a lay up on an assist from Angel Morgan at the 19:36 mark and UC never fell behind the rest of the period. The Bearcats led by as many as 14 points when Jones hit again, this time on a jumper in the paint, to put the Bearcats up 35-21 with 5:22 left until the half. Cincinnati shot 40 percent (6-of-15) from behind the arc, while UofL could not find the mark, missing on all seven attempts. The Bearcat defense held two of the Cardinals' leading scorers, Angel McCoughtry (19.3) and Jazz Covington (9.3) to three points in the half. McCoughtry was 1-of-5 from the field and Covington missed one 3-point attempt and sank one free throw. Senior Treasure Humphries led the Bearcats with 13 points and three assists. Both teams took care of the ball, only having five turnovers each, in the first half.
Cincinnati had its worst offensive production of a half this season, only scoring 20 points in the second stanza. McCoughtry found her groove and scored 20 consecutive UofL points to get the Cardinals back in the game. She hit a jumper on the baseline with 2:07 to give Louisville its first lead of the game, 64-62, and finished with a game-high 25 points and 18 rebounds. The Bearcats shot just 20 percent in the second half, including 2-of-14 from 3-point range.
While Humphries was hot in the first half, she was held scoreless in the second. Shelly Bellman led the Bearcats with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jones chipped in 10 points and Emy Ogide grabbed seven boards.
For the first time all season, Cincinnati was out rebounded with the Cards pulling in 53 to UC's 44.
The Bearcats got into foul trouble, giving the Cardinals the window they needed to close in on the Cincinnati lead. Humphries and Angel Morgan both had four fouls with 10:10 remaining in the game.
The Bearcats will regroup and host Alabama A&M on Monday, Dec. 18 at Fifth Third Arena in a non-conference contest.