TicketsMEMPHIS, Tenn. – University of Cincinnati women's basketball picked up its first American Athletic Conference (AAC) win of the season Wednesday with a gutty 73-66 victory over the Memphis Tigers at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
UC (10-5, 1-1 AAC) was paced by a career-best 27 points from senior guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup), as well as a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds by junior forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep). Miller's 20-point outing was her fourth of the season, while Thomas' double-double, too, was her fourth.
The Bearcats answered a tough first quarter (22-13) by outscoring the Tigers (9-6, 0-2 AAC) 19-9 in the second to take a 32-31 advantage into the halftime locker room. In the third period, Memphis stormed back, outpacing the visitors 24-18, to set the stage for an exciting fourth-quarter comeback by the Red & Black.
Trailing 55-50 with 10 minutes left in the game, UC tied the score at 58-all with 4:42 left. The two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes before senior forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) buried a pair of free throws to put the Bearcats up 67-66 with 33 seconds to go. The Red & Black proceeded to get stops on the defensive end and nail their free throws down the stretch to escape the Bluff City with a win.
The Bearcats scored 32 points in the paint, got out on the fast break for 12 points, outrebounded the home team 39-38, and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 10 second-chance points. Additionally, UC dished out 13 assists on 25 made field goals and knocked down four 3-pointers.
// UP NEXT
UC will return home Sunday, Jan. 12 when it welcomes UCF to Fifth Third Arena for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff. Buy tickets to the game here. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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