TicketsDec. 29, 2010
Postgame Interview with coach Elliott
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Shareese Ulis (Toledo, Ohio/Trinity Valley C.C.) scored 20 points, but the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team fell, 80-77, on a last-second three-pointer against Texas in the first round of the Maggie Dixon Surf N Slam Classic on Dec. 28.
Chanel Chisholm (Long Island, N.Y./Vanderbilt) scored a career-high 16 points and freshman Jeanise Randolph (Calumet City, Ill./Thornton Fractional North) posted her first career double-double with a career-best 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bearcats (6-5) outrebounded the bigger Longhorns (9-3), 41-31, shot a season-best 55 percent from the field, and scored a season-high 77 points, surpassing the 67 points UC scored against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 23.
Shelly Bellman (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) was in double figures with 12 points and four rebounds, eclipsing the 900-point plateau for her career.
Texas took a 40-37 lead into halftime after arguably Cincinnati's best first half of the season. The Bearcats shot 54 percent from the floor, including 4-of-8 from the three-point line. Ulis scored 12 points in the first stanza and Randolph grabbed seven rebounds.
The Longhorns jumped out to 12-4 and 15-7 leads on the strength of its three-point shooting. The Bearcats took a 23-22 lead with a 7-0 run capped by a Bjonee Reaves (San Bernardino, Calif./Neosho County) layup with 9:00 to go.
Texas built the lead back to six, 40-34, with 1:43 left, but Randolph grabbed a rebound off a Kayla Cook (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) miss and made the putback plus the foul, cutting the halftime lead to 40-37.
Texas opened the second half with a 20-12 run to take an 11-point lead with 13:07 to play and led by 10 with 11:25 to go when the Bearcats embarked on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 65-64 with 9:02 left.
Texas held to a slim lead over the next four-plus minutes, but Bellman knocked down a three at the shot clock buzzer to tie it at 71 with 4:44 to go. After a defensive stop, Ulis hit a jumper to give the Bearcats a 73-71 lead at the under four media timeout.
Chisholm hit a short jumper to give UC its biggest lead at 75-71, but six straight for the Longhorns made it 77-75 with 1:16 to go. Randolph tied it again with an offensive rebound and a putback. Ulis had a layup roll off the rim with 16 seconds to play, setting up the final possession for Texas.
The Bearcats will take on Hofstra in the consolation final on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 9 p.m. ET.