TicketsDec. 14, 2008
CINCINNATI - Angel Morgan (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield North) posted her first career double-double with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team to a 67-58 win against IUPUI on Sunday (Dec. 14) at Fifth Third Arena.
Morgan tied a career high with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a career-high four three-pointers. She was joined in double figures by Kahla Roudebush (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) with 15, Jill Stephens (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South) with 12, and Shelly Bellman (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) with 10.
"That's a very good team that won 17 games last year and they'll win 17, 18, 19 games this year," said head coach J. Kelley Hall. "I want to give them credit. I thought we just did a better job of rebounding in the second half and we shot 51 percent."
UC (7-2) shot a season-best 51.1 percent from the floor and has held each of its nine opponents to under 60 points this season.
The Bearcats held a 32-28 edge on the glass, despite IUPUI grabbing 17 offensive boards.
The Jaguars (5-4) held an early 10-7 lead after a BryKeesha Tate jumper at the 14:10 mark of the first half. UC put together an 8-0 run capped by a fast break pull-up jumper from Shanasa Sanders (Jacksonville, Fla./Ribault Senior) to take a 15-10 lead with just over 12 minutes to go.
IUPUI fought back and took a 21-20 lead with 8:25 to play in the half on a Quanisha Turner layup, but UC answered with six straight points to regain momentum. The Bearcats took a 33-29 lead into the locker room at the half, the seventh time in nine games this season that UC led at halftime.
IUPUI held a 19-15 edge in rebounds in the first stanza, including grabbing 11 offensive boards.
The Bearcats built upon the lead coming out of the break with a renewed determination on the glass. Baskets by Bellman, Roudebush and Sanders quickly pushed the lead to 10 and, after a IUPUI bucket, Morgan nailed a three to expand the lead to 11 with 17:16 to go.
The Bearcats pushed the lead to as much as 14 on a Morgan layup with 6:31 to go and withstood a comeback effort that saw the lead shrink to as little as seven.
Jernisha Cann led the Jaguars with 17 points and 10 rebounds, her eighth straight double-double. Nicole James chipped in 15 points and Julia Whitted added 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Bearcats embark on a two-game road swing when they travel to Wright State on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tip off from the Nutter Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.