Pitt Hammers WBB, 66-46

The Cincinnati Bearcats women’s basketball team’s three game winning streak came to an end this evening at St. Ursula Academy.

UC took a drubbing at home against a much improved University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball team, 66-46. The win drops Cincinnati to 3-2 and improves Pitt’s record to 3-1.

The Bearcats held their own in their first quarter, playing to an 11-11 tie with the Panthers. Pitt broke loose in the second quarter, dominating play for all ten minutes. The Panthers outscored Cincinnati 25-6 in the second quarter and held a 19 point advantage at the break. Pitt coasted to an easy win in the second half.

Junior forward Yacine Diop, one of the ACC’s most athletic inside players, led the way for the Panthers. She posted a game-high 17 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots in this low-scoring but one-sided affair. Diop was in fact the only player on either team to reach double figures.

Pitt’s defense smothered Cincinnati. Pittsburgh blocked 10 shots while Cincinnati failed to block any. The Panthers had 12 steals to Cincinnati’s 10. Pitt held UC to 32 percent shooting from the field and an atrocious 1-14 from beyond the arc.

Cincinnati’s senior captains, who have thus far guided the Bearcats admirably, had forgettable evenings. Point guard Ana Owens was held scoreless on 7 shots while power forward Shanice Johnson was held to 5 points and 5 rebounds on 2-11 shooting.

Sophomore forward Angel Rizor was one of the few bright spots for Cincinnati, posting 8 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Junior guard Nikira Goings led the Bearcats with 9 points.

Cincinnati looks to rebound from this difficult loss at home on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. The game will be held at 2 PM at St. Ursula Academy and televised online at GoBearcats.com