TicketsUNCASVILLE, Conn. – The No. 3 seed University of Cincinnati women's basketball team fell to the second-seeded UCF Knights, 66-58, in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals at Mohegan Sun Arena.
After an even first half, the Bearcats (21-10) let the game get away from them in the second as they were outscored by the Knights (26-5) 12-9 in the third quarter and 20-15 in the fourth to end their AAC Championship run.
Three UC players scored in double figures on the night with sophomore forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) leading the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. Thomas was joined with double-figure scoring by junior guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) who scored 13 points -- including three made 3-pointers -- and junior guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) who added 12 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals. In addition, senior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) buried a trio of triples for nine points.
Back in the American Championship semifinals for the second-straight year, UC traded runs with UCF in the opening quarter with the Knights coming away with a slight, 19-17 advantage. The Bearcats answered in the second quarter by scoring the first five points of the period and led by as many as five midway through the stanza. The Knights closed the gap over the duration of the first half to knot the game at 34 at the break.
In the third quarter, UCF jumped ahead by as many as four points and proceeded to take a 46-43 surplus into the final period. In the fourth, UC got within a bucket early on, but fell victim to an 8-2 Knights burst to trail by a then-game-high eight points, 55-47, with 6:44 remaining. The Bearcats fought back down the stretch, pulling within five, 61-56, with 2:29 to go, but was unable to get any closer in crunch time.
The Red & Black knocked down its fair share of 3-pointers with eight triples on the night. UC was also efficient from the free-throw line with an 8-of-10 mark. In addition, the Bearcats scored 11 points off of 11 UCF turnovers and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. Cincinnati also distributed 15 assists on 21 made field goals.
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UC's postseason fate will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to GoBearcats.com for updates.