TicketsMarch 8, 2013
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team ended their run in the BIG EAST Tournament with a first-round loss to Seton Hall University Friday evening.
The Bearcats held a 30-28 lead at the half, but fell victim to an 18-2 Seton Hall run early in the second half. UC fought back, cutting the lead to as few as three in the final minute of the game, but a key offensive rebound with 34 seconds left helped lock up the win for Seton Hall.
Trailing 56-46 with 3:12 to play, Cincinnati started a 7-0 run that brought them within three. Dunn added two scores and a free throw during the spurt. Regaining possession with 59 seconds remaining, the Pirates used a Jones offensive rebound to hold the ball for 37 seconds, resulting in two free throws, giving them a 58-55 lead. Dunn added a score with 15 seconds, but Morris answered with two free throws, pushing the lead back to the eventual final score of 60-55.
The even stat sheet reflected the even play during the contest. Seton Hall shot 41 percent (21-of-51) from the field compared to 37 percent (18-of-49 ) for the Bearcats. The Pirates held a slight edge, 35-32, in rebounding but pulled off 19 second-chance points while UC totaled just 12. Cincinnati outscored Seton Hall 26-22 in the paint.
Alexis Durley (Houston, Texas/Andy Dekaney) led the Bearcats in scoring with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting and going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Lesha Dunn (Toronto, Canada/ Trinity Valley CC) also finished with double-digits, going 4-of-9 from the floor for 10 points.
Dayeesha Hollins (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods/Michigan) added eight points while Tiffany Turner (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and Alyesha Lovett (Newark, N.J./Malcolm X Shabazz) each contributed seven. Hollins had a team-high five assists while Turner led the squad in rebounding with seven.
All-BIG EAST Second-Team selection Brittany Morris led Seton Hall with 18 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. Ka-Deidre Simmons added 13 points while Breanna Jones pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Seton Hall's 18-2 run was sparked in the second half with a jumper from Jones and a three from Morris. The Bearcats went 12:39 without a field goal, scoring just four points from the free throw line during the span.
A three from Kayla Cook (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) with 5:14 left in the contest snapped the drought for the Bearcats, cut the lead to 52-42 and set up UC's late rally.
The back and forth scoring in the first half saw two ties and three lead changes. A flurry of scoring took place in the final four minutes as the two teams combined for 17 points in the last 4:02 of the half.
Cincinnati finishes the 2012-13 season with a 12-18 record.