TicketsNov. 17, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kahla Roudebush (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) scored a career-high 29 points, but the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team dropped a 58-55 decision at Kentucky on Monday (Nov. 17) at Memorial Coliseum.
Victoria Dunlap had a big second half, scoring 17 of her career-high 22 points to lead the Wildcats (1-1) back from an eight-point halftime deficit. Eleia Roddy scored 14 points and added nine rebounds for the winners.
Roudebush was the only Bearcat in double figures and also contributed three rebounds, three assists, and a career-high two blocks for UC, which dropped to 1-1 on the season.
The Bearcats jumped out to an 18-6 lead on the strength of Roudebush. The junior guard scored 14 points and assisted on another basket in the first 6:45 of the game.
An 11-3 run by the Wildcats, capped by a three from the corner by Carly Morrow, cut the UC lead to 21-17 at the 10:05 mark.
UC pushed its lead to 33-25 at the break on a three by Roudebush and a jumper by freshman Shanasa Sanders (Jacksonville, Fla./Ribault Senior) at the first-half buzzer on back-to-back possessions.
Roudebush stayed hot early in the second half, scoring the first five points for the Bearcats. Kentucky, which pressed most of the first half, scaled back its pressure and played man-to-man the rest of the half and held the Bearcats to 22 points the rest of the way.
UC took a 38-30 lead on Roudebush's second three of the half, but an 8-0 run by the Wildcats, including a three-pointer - the first of her career - and a traditional three-point play by Dunlap tied the game at 38-38.
Jill Stephens (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South) put back a Sanders miss to put UC back up by a pair. After another Roudebush three gave UC a 43-40 lead, an offensive rebound and put-back back Roddy knotted the score again.
Sanders made one of two free throws on the next UC possession and UK took its first lead of the game at the 10:31 mark on another put back by Dunlap.
With UC trailing by one at 54-53 with 5:44 to go, a three-pointer by Carly Morrow pushed the UK lead to four.
Neither team scored for the next four-plus minutes until a Roudebush layup at 1:17 pulled UC to within a pair at 57-55. After a defensive stop and a missed one-and-one, UC had the ball with a chance to tie with under 10 seconds to play, but a turnover ended the threat.
Amber Smith made the front end of the one-and-one, the first point for the Wildcats in over 5-1/2 minutes, to produce the final margin.
UC held the Wildcats to 32 percent shooting, but 17 offensive rebounds and 12 second chance points allowed UK to escape with the win.
The Bearcats return home to take on Toledo on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.