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FREEPORT, Bahamas - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Thursday, falling to the No. 5 Baylor Lady Bears, 72-34, in the Bearcats' opening game in the Junkanoo Jam.
// THE SHORT STORY
In the second all-time meeting between the two teams, Baylor (5-0) evened the series with a 72-34 victory on Thursday afternoon inside St. Georges Gym on the opening day of the Junkanoo Jam. Cincinnati (3-1) played a solid opening six minutes, trailing only 9-7 following a junior guard Bianca Quisenberry (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) jumper. The Lady Bears responded by ending the opening period on an 11-2 run and outscoring UC 18-7 in the second quarter to take control of the game. In the second half, Baylor imposed its will as the scoring gap grew to a game-high 39 points early in the final period.
// KEY PLAYERS
CINCINNATI
Ana Owens: 11 points
Maya Benham: 8 points | 2 rebounds
Nikira Goings: 5 points | 3 rebounds | 2 assists
BAYLOR
Kalani Brown: 13 points | 5 rebounds
Kristina Higgins: 10 rebounds | 8 points
Niya Johnson: 10 assists | 5 points
// KEY RUNS
- Trailing 8-2 with 7:12 to go in the first quarter, the Bearcats answered back with a three pointer from sophomore guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) to bring the score to 8-5 with 5:48 left in the opening period.
- UC cuts its deficit to two points, 9-7, on a Quisenberry jumper with 3:43 left in the first quarter.
- Baylor outscored Cincinnati 34-18 in the second half including shooting 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field and limiting UC to only three made field goals.
// TEAM NOTES
- After getting to the free throw line only four times in the first half, the Bearcats got to the charity stripe 19 times in the second, converting 11 times.
- UC grabbed 13 offensive rebounds on the day, but was not able to convert any of them into points.
- Cincinnati got a season-high 17 points from its bench.
// INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Owens recorded her 22nd-career game with double-digit points (11), and led the Bearcats in scoring for the fourth time this season and the 18th time of her career.
- Freshman guard Maya Benham (Douglasville, Ga./Osborne) posted season highs of eight points and two rebounds in an also season-best 16 minutes of play.
- Freshman guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) logged a season-best 20 minutes of play and tallied season highs of five points and two assists.
- Sophomore forward Trinity Hunter (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) scored her first points of the season (2) in a season-high 9 minutes of play.
// UP NEXT
UC will have a quick turnaround and will face the Michigan State Spartans tomorrow, Nov. 27, at 5:45 p.m. in its final game in the Junkanoo Jam. A live video stream can be accessed on the @JunkanooJam Twitter account via Periscope, while MSU's live audio stream can be accessed here.