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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team weathered a late surge from the Houston Cougars to come away with a 56-50 win on Saturday afternoon inside Fifth Third Arena.
// THE SHORT STORY
The Bearcats led by as many as 12 points during the game, including nine early in the fourth quarter. Houston countered in the final period to trail by only two on a pair of occasions, but a 6-2 surge over the final two minutes of the fourth quarter allowed UC to fend off the Cougars to earn a 56-50 victory. The triumph snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bearcats and allowed them to pick up their first home league victory of the season.
// KEY PLAYERS
CINCINNATI
Alyesha Lovett: 18 points | 7 rebounds
Jasmine Whitfield: 15 points | 4 rebounds
Ana Owens: 13 points | 7 rebounds | 3 assists
HOUSTON
Alecia Smith: 10 points | 2 assists
Serithia Hawkins: 12 rebounds | 7 points | 4 assists
Tyler Gilbert: 8 points | 5 rebounds
// KEY RUNS
- The Bearcats began the game hot from beyond the three-point arc. Senior guard Jasmine Whitfield (Crestwood, Ky./South Oldham) knocked down a triple to start the game and set the tone. Senior guard Alyesha Lovett (Newark, N.J.) then nailed back-to-back three-pointers to give UC a 14-6 advantage. With seconds ticking down until the end of the opening period, Lovett buried another trifecta to give the Bearcats an 18-9 advantage at the end of one.
- Armed with the momentum, UC opened the second quarter with a 7-4 surge to take a 25-13 lead with 6:24 remaining before halftime. Houston responded by ending the quarter on an 11-6 run to bring the score to 31-24 at the break.
- The Cougars scored the opening five points of the third quarter to pull within two, 31-29, two minutes into the period. The Bearcats answered with an 8-2 burst over the next two-and-a-half minutes to lead 39-31.
- UC entered the final quarter with a 43-35 advantage and went on to maintain a 46-37 lead. The Bearcats then went four-and-a-half minutes without scoring as Houston closed the gap to 46-44 with 5:56 to play.
- The Bearcats added to their lead over the next two minutes to lead by six, 50-44, with 3:39 to go. The Cougars then responded with a 4-0 surge to pull within two, 50-48, with 2:07 left. A huge jumper from sophomore guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) with a minute to play put UC up 52-48. A defensive stop and subsequent conversions from the free throw line by Owens gave Cincinnati some breathing room. In total, UC outscored Houston 6-2 over the final two minutes of the game to tally the win.
// TEAM NOTES
- UC is now 6-4 this season when the trio of Lovett, Whitfield, and Owens each score in double-figures.
- The Bearcats shot only 33 percent (16-of-48) from the field, but limited the Cougars to only 32 percent (18-of-56) shooting.
- Cincinnati dished out eight assists on 16 made field goals and outrebounded its opponent, 37-35.
- UC was 6-of-19 from the beyond the three-point arc and limited UH to only two makes from distance (2-of-17).
// INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Lovett led the Bearcats in scoring for the sixth time this season and the 17th time of her career with a game-best 18 points. The guard also grabbed a team-high-tying seven rebounds.
- Whitfield reached double-figure scoring for the 15th time in 2015-16 and the 33rd time of her career with 15 points. The senior also corralled four rebounds.
- Owens scored in double-figures for the 16th time this season and the 34th time of her career with 13 points. The guard also posted a team-best-tying seven rebounds and dished out a team-best three assists. The sophomore has now led the Bearcats in assists 10 times in 2015-16 and 26 times in her career. Owens was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line which extends her consecutive free throw make mark to 30. Her last miss was on Jan. 2 at UCF and she has only missed one free throw in conference play this season (38-of-39).
// UP NEXT
UC will hit the road for the Sunshine State when it takes on the No. 20 USF Bulls on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. inside the USF Sun Dome. Listen live to the game on Bearcats TV and stay updated with live stats on GoUSFBulls.com.