TicketsCINCINNATI – A big second quarter by Saint Joseph's proved to be the difference as the Cincinnati women's basketball team fell to the Hawks, 67-56, on Wednesday night.
The Hawks outscored Cincinnati 28-11 in the second quarter to build a 15-point halftime lead. The Bearcats chipped away at the deficit throughout the second half, pulling within three in the final five minutes before Saint Joseph's answered with nine straight points.
Sophomore Caliyah DeVillasee led the Bearcats in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with a season-high 18 points. She has scored in double figures in all three games this season.
Sophomore Naomi Benson recorded her first career double-double with career highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds. She grabbed six offensive boards. Sahnya Jah added 12 points and six rebounds.
Cincinnati shot a season-low 32% from the field and went just 2-of-13 from 3-point range (15.4%). Saint Joseph's shot 42% overall, including 73% in the second quarter.
The Bearcats also struggled at the free throw line, converting just 14 of 28 attempts compared to Saint Joseph's 17-of-23.
Cincinnati used a 9-0 run to take an 11-5 lead with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter. The Hawks responded with six straight points and a pair of free throws to tie the game, but a buzzer-beating layup from Jah kept the Bearcats in front, 15-13, at the end of the quarter.
Saint Joseph's took the lead with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter before using a 9-0 run to extend its advantage to 35-23. The Hawks outscored Cincinnati by 17 in the period to take a 41-26 lead into halftime. DeVillasee paced the Bearcats with eight points in the quarter.
Cincinnati began chipping away at the deficit in the third quarter. Back-to-back layups from DeVillasee and Benson brought the Bearcats within 11 with 3:31 remaining. Cincinnati cut the deficit to single digits on consecutive putbacks from Benson and a driving layup from Jaidyn Gunter. The Bearcats entered the fourth quarter trailing 50-41.
Cincinnati's defense held Saint Joseph's to just two points over the first 5:29 of the fourth quarter. The Bearcats pulled within three after a 3-pointer from Jah and a fastbreak layup from Jade Jones made it 53-50 with 4:31 remaining. However, the Hawks answered with nine straight points to maintain control and secure the 67-56 victory.
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Cincinnati will hit the road to face UMES on Sunday, Nov. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. inside Hytche Athletic Center.