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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team suffered a 73-55 loss to the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday evening inside Fifth Third Arena.
// THE SHORT STORY
Fresh off of a week-long break, the Bearcats (6-13, 2-6 The American) came out a bit sluggish against their visitors from Dallas, Texas. SMU (9-10, 4-4 The American) built up a 21-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and UC failed to counter, going nearly six minutes without a score to begin the second period. UC finally woke up in the final half of the second quarter, but trailed 41-21 at halftime. The two teams shared runs in the third quarter with the Mustangs taking a 61-40 lead into the final quarter. In the fourth period, Cincinnati reduced its deficit to as few as 10 points with 4:07 remaining, but SMU was able to answer with a late rally killer to come away with a 73-55 victory.
// KEY PLAYERS
CINCINNATI
Alyesha Lovett: 13 points | 3 rebounds
Ana Owens: 11 points | 2 assists
Jasmine Whitfield: 11 points | 6 rebounds | 3 steals
SMU
Alicia Froling: 33 points | 22 rebounds
Stephanie Collins: 10 points | 6 rebounds
Gabrielle Wilkins: 9 points | 8 rebounds | 3 steals
// KEY RUNS
- The Mustangs jumped out to 12-5 advantage through the opening five minutes of the game, led by a pair of three-pointers. Struggling on offense, the Bearcats went two of their last 13 over the duration of the first quarter to trail 21-9 at the end of one.
- UC ended a nearly six-minute scoring drought on a pair of free throws from freshman forward Chelsea Warren (Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak) with 5:38 left in the second quarter as SMU led, 30-10. The two teams played an even final five minutes as the Mustangs went into halftime with a 41-21 advantage.
- Trailing by a game-high 22, 45-23, with 8:46 to play in the third quarter, the Bearcats strung together a 13-2 run to reduce their deficit to 11, 47-36, with 5:04 left in period. SMU then responded with an 11-4 surge to take a 61-40 lead into the final quarter.
- Facing a sizeable disadvantage, UC stormed out of the gate to begin the fourth period with a 15-4 run to pull within 10, 65-55, with 4:07 remaining. The Bearcats then went scoreless over the final four minutes of the contest while SMU increased its lead and went on to prevail, 73-55.
// TEAM NOTES
- UC scored 20 or more points in the paint for the 15th time this season with 22 on the night.
- The Bearcats forced the Mustangs into 12 turnovers and capitalized on these miscues with 15 points. Cincinnati only turned the ball over nine times.
- UC got 10 points from its bench and dished out eight assists on 18 made field goals.
- The Bearcats got to the free-throw line 17 times where it made 14.
// INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Redshirt senior guard Alyesha Lovett (Newark, N.J./Malcolm X Shabazz) scored in double-figures for the 12th time this season and the 35th time of her career with a team-best 13 points, including 11 in the second half. Lovett has now led the team in scoring five times this season and 16 times in her career.
- Sophomore guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) scored 11 points, including nine in the first half. Owens also knocked down eight free throws and has now made 26-consecutive from the charity stripe. Her last miss was on Jan. 2 at UCF.
- Senior guard Jasmine Whitfield (Crestwood, Ky./South Oldham) added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. Whitfield has now scored in double-digits 14 times this season and 32 times in her career and has led the team in rebounds six times this season and 10 times in her career.
- Warren scored a season-best eight points and also grabbed five rebounds.
// UP NEXT
UC will welcome the Houston Cougars (4-15, 0-8 The American) to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. The game will have a live video stream on Bearcats TV, while live stats can be accessed on . Admission will be complimentary as part of the University's season-long "Experience UC" initiative. In addition, prior to the game, there will be a National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) celebration. To learn more about the celebration and to register for participation in the festivities, click here. Following the game, the Bearcats will put on a youth clinic in conjunction with UC's YMCA Junior Bearcat program. Additional information and registration for the clinic can be accessed here.