TicketsNov. 23, 2008
CINCINNATI - Two Kahla Roudebush (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) free throws with 12 seconds left gave the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team a 60-59 win against Toledo on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 23) at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats (2-1) had three players in double figures, led by Jill Stephens (Mineral Wells, W. Va./Parkersburg South) with 13. Roudebush tallied 12 points with seven rebounds and Tenishia Benson (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) added 10. Angel Morgan (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield North) led UC with a game-high nine rebounds as the Bearcats outrebounded the Rockets (2-2), 38-31.
Naama Shafir led Toledo with a game-high 16 points and added five assists. Jessica Williams tallied 13 and Amber Heistan added 11.
UC jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first 4:15, capped by a Shanasa Sanders (Jacksonville, Fla./Ribault Senior) three-pointer. Toledo scored 13 of the next 14 points to take a 13-11 lead on a Shafir layup at the 10:15 mark.
UC went up by as much as five after a pair of Benson free throws at the 5:43 mark and took a three-point lead into the half, 31-28. The Bearcats shot 41 percent in the half compared to just 29 percent for the Rockets.
A Roudebush three was answered by a Williams three for Toledo on each team's first possession of the second half. A Shelly Bellman (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) three gave UC a six-point lead (39-33) at the 14:57 mark and moments later Roudebush knocked down a short jumper to push the UC lead to 43-35.
UC extended its lead to nine, the largest of the second half on a pair of Stephens free throws with just over five minutes to go. It was UC's lack of success at the free throw line, however, that nearly cost the Bearcats down the stretch.
Eight straight Toledo points cut the UC lead to one (51-50) with 3:32 to play, but a Stephens turnaround jumper and a three from Benson pushed the lead back to six. Toledo scored the next five points to pull within one at 56-55 on a Shafir three-point play after UC missed the front end of a one-and-one.
After another missed front end of a one-and-one, Shafir drove to the basket and layed in her 15th and 16th points to give Toledo its first lead of the second half, 59-58, with 14 seconds to play.
Roudebush was fouled after the inbounds pass and calmly sank both free throws. The Bearcats forced the ball out of Shafir's hands. Courtney Ingersoll missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer and the Bearcats walked away winners.
The Bearcats return to action next weekend, hosting the Kingsgate by Marriott of Florence Thanksgiving Classic in Fifth Third Arena on Nov. 28-30. UC will take on Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m., Savannah State on Nov. 29 at 5 p.m., and Eastern Illinois on Nov. 30 at 2:30 p.m. Full tournament results and coverage will be available at GoBEARCATS.com.