TicketsCINCINNATI – Needing 10 points to reach 1,000 for her career, University of Cincinnati women's basketball junior forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) scored a game-high 21 points Monday night to help the Bearcats roll Coppin State, 86-40, in their non-conference finale at Fifth Third Arena.
The win was UC's (9-4) sixth consecutive and capped a perfect 6-0 record during the month of December. Meanwhile, CSU fell to 0-11 on the year.
Now with 1,011 career points in just nearly two-and-a-half seasons, Thomas became the 27th member of the UC women's basketball 1,000-point club and notched her sixth 20-point game of the season. The Red & Black offense was also aided by a career-high-tying 20 points by senior forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake), while freshman guard Chellia Watson (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow) scored a season-best 18 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead to begin the game and never looked back. After a 27-10 advantage following one quarter, UC outscored the Eagles 25-6 in the second period to take a 52-16 surplus into the halftime locker room. In the second half, the home team used a 12-0 run midway through the third stanza to run away with the contest. Up by as many as 56 early in the fourth quarter, UC was edged 12-7 by CSU in the period to close the gap to 86-40 at the final horn.
Cincinnati shot 48% (34-of-71) from the field, buried 5-of-13 3-pointers, and cashed in 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. The Red & Black scored 52 points in the paint, got out on the fast break for 35 points, turned 22 Coppin State turnovers into 29 points, and had their bench chip in 29 points. In addition, the Bearcats dished out 25 assists and outrebounded the Eagles 47-32 – converting 20 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
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UC will begin American Athletic Conference action Sunday, Jan. 5 when it travels to Tampa, Florida to take on the USF Bulls at 2 p.m. at the Yuengling Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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