TicketsMarch 3, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Stephanie Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) scored 14 second-half points and Kahla Roudebush (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the University of Cincinnati (12-16, 3-12) to a 66-59 season-ending victory at Providence College (12-17, 2-13) in a BIG EAST contest on Monday at Alumni Hall.
Stevens finished the game with a career-high 17 points and junior forward Jill Stephens (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South) contributed her 10th double-double of the season and 12th 40-minute game of the year, chipping in 15 points and 10 rebounds.
"I am proud of the team tonight. They showed a lot of heart and executed like we asked them to in the second half," said head coach J. Kelley Hall. "If you look at the stat sheet from the first half it was horrible, but man, what a second half. Stephanie Stevens had a huge game for us and the kids deserve all the credit."
UC turned the ball over four times in the first four minutes and Providence ran out to an 8-1 lead. Cincinnati landed its first bucked from the floor at the 15:01 mark when Stevens hit a 3-pointer, but the Friars used a 10-3 run to push out to an 18-4 lead with 11:06 left in the first half. Roudebush fired off seven straight points but the Friars put eight on the board to push out to a 26-11 lead with 8:40 to go. The Bearcats went on a 12-7 run to close out the half but Providence held a 33-23 advantage at the half.
Roudebush led UC with 13 points in the first half while Emy Ogide (Rockmart, Ga./Paulding County) pulled down five rebounds for the Bearcats. UC gave up 15 points off of turnovers and 16 points in the paint in the first half.
Providence opened the half with a 3-pointer and outscored UC 8-7 over the first four minutes to hold an 11-point advantage, 41-30, with 15:26 left in the game. UC used a 3-pointer by Stephens to hit a 5-3 run and pull within nine, 44-35, with 11:57 on the clock. The Bearcats gradually chipped away on Providence's lead and pulled within six, 50-44, when Carla Jacobs (Cleveland, Ohio/Regina) hit a jumper with 7:46 to play. An old-fashioned three-point play by Stevens made the scoreboard read 50-47 with 6:29 remaining. Stevens added another layup and two free throws - in a one-and-one situation - to give the Bearcats their first lead of the game, 53-52, with 3:28 left in the game. A 3-pointer by Roudebush extended UC's lead, 56-52, with 1:42 left to play. Tenishia Benson (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) went into the paint and landed a jumper with 1:01 on the clock and Stephens hit two free throws to give the Bearcats enough cushion for the win.
Cincinnati outrebounded the Friars 19-12 in the second half and cleaned up its play, giving up only seven points off of turnovers and scoring six in the second half. The Bearcats poured in 43 points in the second stanza, the most UC has scored in the second half this season in BIG EAST action.
UC's seniors, Kristi Brogan (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard) and Emy Ogide, each started the game. It was Brogan's first career-start and Ogide's first start of the 2007-08 season, giving every player on UC's roster at least one start this season.