TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati women's basketball took care of business Thursday night in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) first round with a 76-62 win against the Youngstown State Penguins at Fifth Third Arena.
A dominant second quarter – featuring a 20-8 scoring edge – allowed the Bearcats (22-10) to take control of the game early on. UC then weathered a late run by YSU (22-10) to come away with the victory. The triumph was the Red & Black's first in the postseason since a WNIT win over Duquesne in 2012. In addition, head coach Michelle Clark-Heard picked up her 200th career victory in just nine seasons as a head coach.
UC, once again, featured a balanced scoring attack with four players scoring 10 or more points. Sophomore forward Andeija Puckett (Griffin, Ga./Griffin) led the way with a career-high 16 points, to go along with six rebounds. Junior guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) also scored 16 and added five rebounds. Junior forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) continued her strong late-season play with 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Junior guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) chipped in 10 points a career-best-tying seven rebounds, as well as a team-high five assists.
Competing in the WNIT for the second-consecutive season, the Bearcats faced stiff competition in the opening quarter. Able to build up a four-point lead with 3:16 to go in the first period, the Red & Black fell victim to a 6-0 Penguins run to end the stanza to trail 17-15 at the end of one. UC took control in the second, outscoring YSU 20-8, including a 7-0 run early in quarter, to lead 35-25 at halftime.
The Bearcats increased their advantage to a game-high 18 points in the third quarter, but was ultimately edged 21-20 in the period. Armed with a 55-46 lead with just 10 minutes left to play, UC saw its advantage whittled down to as few as three points, 57-54, with 7:27 remaining. Cincinnati fired back with a 13-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to get back into the driver's seat. The Red & Black stayed solid down the stretch to earn its 15th home win of the season.
UC shot the ball at a 42-percent clip from the field and was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. The home team also held a 41-30 edge on the glass and scored 14 points off of 13 offensive rebounds. Additionally, the Bearcats got out in transition for 18 points, got 28 points from their reserves, and scored 36 points in the paint. Moreover, the Red & Black dished out 19 assists on 29 made field goals and swiped eight steals.
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UC will face the winner of Friday's Minnesota – Northern Iowa matchup in the WNIT second round. Date and location will be announced in the coming days. Stay tuned to @GoBearcatsWBB for updates.