WBB Dominates Slippery Rock 85-52

The Cincinnati Bearcats women’s basketball team evened their record this evening at 1-1 by putting together a dominant performance against Division II Slippery Rock University.

UC defeated “The Rock” by a score of 85-52 in a game that the more physical and athletic Bearcats broke open in the second half.

Junior guard Nikira Goings scored a career high 24 points, leading the way for Cincinnati in this early season blowout win. First-year forward Iimar’i Thomas continued to impress as well, posting her own career high of 18 points.

Slippery Rock hung tough in the early going, holding the Bearcats to an 11-8 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. As the evening wore on, the visitors proved unable to match Cincinnati’s depth, speed, or hustle. The Bearcats asserted their way in the paint to a 21-13 advantage after the first quarter and a 39-29 halftime lead.

Despite their comfortable lead, coach Jamelle Elliott’s Bearcats came out in the second half like a wall of fire. They put “The Rock” away in the third quarter, which commenced with a 7-0 run. Senior forward and team leader Shanice Johnson highlighted the early second half run by posting consecutive tough buckets in the paint. The 2016-2017 AAC Most Improved Player continues to proved herself to be one of the league’s premier interior players with her consistently gritty efforts.

By the end of the third quarter, Cincinnati had jumped to a 62-41 lead. The Bearcats’ deep and energetic bench built onto this lead even more in the fourth quarter, continuing to dominate Slippery Rock in all aspects of the game, including hustle, a hallmark of Jamelle Elliott teams. There can be no greater compliment to a coach than to say that her players show up every evening and give a strenuous effort.

Cincinnati looks to improve its record to 2-1 this Wednesday evening at 7 PM at home at St. Ursula Academy against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. The game will broadcast live on GoBearcats.com.