TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati women's basketball team improved to 2-0 with a 76-53 victory over Penn State on Saturday inside Fifth Third Arena.
Cincinnati was led by its sophomore class, which combined for 51 points in the win.
Caliyah DeVillasee finished with a team-high 13 points on 50% shooting to go along with five assists. Dee Alexander added a career-high 12 points on 60% shooting.
Joya Crawford was lights out from beyond the arc, going a career-best 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Jade Jones rounded out the Bearcats in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Cincinnati earned its first win over a Big Ten opponent since March 24, 2019, when the Bearcats defeated Minnesota, 72-65, in the second round of the WNIT.
The Bearcats shot 48.4% from the field and 40% from 3-point range (8-of-20). Cincinnati also forced 17 Lady Lion turnovers, converting them into 19 points.
The Bearcats jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first three minutes of play, highlighted by four points and four rebounds from Sahnya Jah. Two 3-pointers from Crawford helped Cincinnati take a 16-8 advantage at the first media timeout. In the final minute, Marta Fernandez made her first collegiate three to keep the Bearcats ahead by double digits (22-11).
The second quarter featured a 9-0 run, including Crawford’s third three of the day. She matched her career high for 3-pointers made in a game in the first half alone. Alexander came alive in the run and scored six points in the final four minutes to give UC a 20-point first-half lead (40-20).
Cincinnati used another 9-0 spurt to extend its advantage to 26 in the third quarter. The run consisted of Jaidyn Gunter’s first career 3-pointer. The quarter was capped by Crawford’s fourth 3-pointer of the game, and a buzzer-beating layup from Alexander (62-34).
Penn State went on a 12-2 run to start the fourth, but Cincinnati responded with a layup from Mary Carden to push the lead back to 20. Reagan Jackson drilled a 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to put the game away, 76-53.
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Cincinnati will host Saint Joseph’s Wednesday, Nov. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. inside Fifth Third Arena.