TicketsFeb. 6, 2007
- They say good things come to those who wait. Well, in the case of the women's basketball team this is true. The Bearcats downed , 74-61, Tuesday night in a BIG EAST standings battle. The game was scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip off, but was delayed 90 minutes due to terrible traffic conditions - caused by a winter blast that saw seven inches fall on the - that the officiating crew got caught in.
"We just had to find a way to get our routine in," said UC head coach Laurie Pirtle referring to the delay. "Every game is so important and every game counts towards making it to the BIG EAST Championship."
Five UC players scored in double figures, led by Carla Jacobs and Karen Twehues who each poured in 13 points. Jacobs also dished out a game-high seven assists. Shelly Bellman and Angel Morgan added 11 points and Michelle Jones had 10. Treasure Humphries pulled in a career-high 10 rebounds and added six assists.
"This was a good response. The team played really well together," said Pirtle. "It was fun coaching on the sideline today. I really liked the way we played defense and I was impressed with the guard play as well."
When the game finally began, both teams had trouble finding their touch and the first basket wasn't scored until the 16:57 mark on a Michelle Jones jumper. That sparked a 7-0 run by the Bearcats. It took the Friars nearly six minutes to scored their first points, a trey from the hands of Shauna Snyder with 14:43 left on the clock. went on a run of its own to cut the lead to 9-7 with 13:24 to play - that's as close as the Friars would ever get. UC never once trailed in the game.
(13-10, 4-7 BIG EAST) used another run midway through the first period to extend its lead to double digits. The Bearcats went on a 13-3 tear to pull away, 29-15, with 6:08 left to halftime on a Shelly Bellman triple. Carla Jacobs sank a free throw with four seconds shown left on the clock, giving the Bearcats a 34-22 lead at the half.
Both squads' shooting was nearly as cold as it was outside. The Bearcats shot 38 percent from the floor, while shot just 32 percent. UC started heating up in the second stanza and shot 50 percent, including 43 percent from behind the arc.
UC led by as many as 17 (twice) in the second half. (12-11, 2-8 BIG EAST) rallied to cut the lead to nine, 68-59, but it was too little too late with just 1:08 left in the contest. The Bearcats sealed the deal, going eight-of-eight from the free throw line in the final minute.
bested in every category. The Bearcats shot better, rebounded better (41-32), had more assists (16-11) and grabbed more steals (7-6). UC outscored the Friars, 12-0 on fast break points and 26-10 on points off turnovers, despite having 17 turnovers to PC's 14. UC's bench also outperformed 's, 26-20.
Chelsea Marandola scored nearly half of the Friars' total with 26 points. She also had 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. native Catherine Bove (Ursuline) scored only four points for Providence, but had a team-high five assists.
The Bearcats moved up a spot in the BIG EAST standings with the victory and have a week off before playing at on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
Notes:
- Shelly Bellman broke out of her scoring drought with an 11-point performance.
- The Bearcats evened the all-time series, 1-1.
- UC outrebounded the Friars, 41-32, marking the 19th time in 23 games the Bearcats have bested their opponent in that category.
- The Friars put up a 30 treys, the most hoisted against the Bearcats this season. only shot 23 percent from behind the arc (7-of-30).
- Treasure Humphries had a double figure rebounding game for the first time in her four-year career. She pulled in a career-high 10 boards.
- The Bearcats had five players score in double figures for the fifth game this season.