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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team won its fifth-consecutive game Saturday when it upended the East Carolina Pirates, 74-64, at Fifth Third Arena.
Winners of five straight, UC moves to 14-5 on the season and 5-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The Bearcats are unblemished in 2017 and their 14 victories are the most since the 2011-12 season. Additionally, the 5-1 league mark is the best conference start of the Jamelle Elliott era and UC's best showing since 2002-03 when it began Conference USA action 6-0. Meanwhile, ECU dropped its fourth-consecutive game and falls to 10-10 overall and 1-6 in conference action.
Highlighted among the Bearcats' four double-digit scorers is junior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who, needing seven points to total 1,000 for her career entering the game, scored 11 to become the 26th member of the program's 1,000-point club. Junior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe Community CC) paced UC with 22 points, while senior guard Bianca Quisenberry (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) contributed 14 and sophomore forward Chelsea Warren (Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak) added 11. ECU's Bre McDonald scored a game-best 27 points.
The Bearcats fell behind early to the Pirates but collected themselves to lead 17-14 after one quarter. Following, UC ended the first half with a 6-2 burst to take a 33-28 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Bearcats grasped control of the game in the third quarter when -- following ECU tying the contest at 35 with 7:46 remaining in the period -- they manufactured a 14-4 run to pull ahead by a then-game-high 10 points at the 3:02 mark. UC would need one more surge to put away the visitors as they produced a 9-2 surge late in the fourth quarter to come away victorious.
// QUARTER-BY-QUARTER BREAKDOWN
The Bearcats trailed by five points early in the first quarter but answered with an 8-2 run to lead 10-9 at the first media stop of the game at the 3:39 mark. In total, UC outscored ECU 15-7 in the surge to take a 17-14 advantage into the second quarter.
UC held a slight, 8-7 edge through the opening five-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter to lead 25-21. The two teams played an even duration of the half before Quisenberry buried a jumper at the second-period buzzer to give the Bearcats a 33-28 advantage at the halftime break.
ECU had a quick burst to tie the game at 35 to start the third quarter but UC countered with 7-2 surge, beginning with a Johnson three-pointer, to lead 42-37 midway through the period. The Bearcats prolonged the run to take a game-high 10-point advantage, 49-39, with 3:02 left in the quarter. The squads played to a draw over the final three minutes of the period with UC taking a 55-45 lead into the final quarter.
The Pirates cut their deficit to six points, 61-55, midway through the fourth period but the Bearcats responded with a 9-2 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take back control of the game. UC stayed up by double-digits for the duration as it earned its fifth-straight victory.
// KEY PLAYERS
CINCINNATI
Shanice Johnson: 22 points | 13 rebounds | 4 assists | 4 steals | 2 blocks
Bianca Quisenberry: 14 points | 8 rebounds | 4 assists
Chelsea Warren: 12 points | 3 rebounds | 2 blocks
Ana Owens: 11 points | 5 assists | 3 rebounds | 2 steals
EAST CAROLINA
Bre McDonald: 27 points | 6 rebounds | 4 assists
Antoinette Bannister: 11 points | 3 rebounds | 3 assists | 3 steals
Kristen Gaffney: 10 points | 7 rebounds
// UP NEXT
UC will hit the road to face the UCF Knights on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. inside CFE Arena. The game will be broadcasted live on the American Digital Network.
// EXPERIENCE UC
Again, this season, the Bearcats will be participating in the University's "Experience UC" initiative which offers complimentary, free of charge admission to home games. The initiative is geared toward inviting the community to campus to see firsthand the great things about and surrounding the University. Groups interested in attending games in 2015-16 should contact Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Branding Luke Willman (513-556-1081; luke.willman@uc.edu) for more information.
// MOBILE APP: CINCINNATI GAMEDAY
Improved for the 2016 season, the Cincinnati Gameday app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices offers fans a wide variety of information on the Bearcats — home and away. The free app is available in the App Store and Google Play. The app offers live scores & stats, social interaction, and fan maps, among other features, to enhance the Cincinnati gameday experience.