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GREENVILLE, N.C. - The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team dropped an 80-69 decision to the East Carolina Pirates on Wednesday night inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
UC's overall record fell to 16-11 and 7-7 in American Athletic Conference play, while ECU improved to 11-17 on the season and 2-13 in league action. Following the setback, the regular season series split at a game apiece for the two teams. The Bearcats defeated the Pirates 74-64 on Jan. 21 in Cincinnati.
A slow start to the game and being outscored 27-13 in the third quarter were the differences as UC could not fully recover from a 23-point, second-half deficit. The Bearcats fought until the end, cutting their deficit to only eight points with under a minute to play but ultimately ran out of time to complete the comeback.
Junior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) posted her 12th double-double of the season with team highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Johnson was matched in scoring by both senior guard Bianca Quisenberry (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) and freshman guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) who each added 14. Miller paced UC's bench which scored 29 points on the night. The Pirates, too, had three double-digit scorers, led by Bre McDonald's game-best 24 points to go along 12 rebounds. Kristen Gaffney also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bearcats saw the Pirates take a 10-point, first quarter lead. UC responded to the deficit by outscoring ECU 8-3 over the final 2:37 of the period to bring the score to 20-15, the home team, at the end of one. A deep sophomore guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) three-pointer at the 8:40 mark of the second quarter tied the game at 20 and a subsequent Miller fast-break lay in with seven minutes left before halftime gave UC back the advantage, 22-20. The Bearcats led by as many as four points but the Pirates ended the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 41-36 advantage into the locker room.
UC fell victim to a 10-2 ECU run to begin the second half to fall behind by a then-game-high 13 points, 51-38. As the Bearcats offense struggled - including a five-minute scoring drought - the Pirates began to take control of the game. In total, UC was outscored 27-13 in the third quarter and faced a 68-49 deficit heading into the final period. The Bearcats refused to go away lightly in the fourth quarter, opening the period with a 6-0 run. UC continued the surge throughout the quarter, cutting its deficit to only eight points with 44 seconds remaining. In total, the Bearcats outscored ECU 20-12 in the final stanza but it was not enough.
// UP NEXT
UC will play its final regular season road game of the year on Saturday, Feb. 25 when it travels to Philadelphia to square off against the No. 20 Temple Owls at 2 p.m. at McGonigle Hall. The game will air live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
// 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.