The Cincinnati Bearcats women’s basketball team fell to 7-5 this afternoon. They lost a hard fought game to the Ohio State Buckeyes 87-76 in front of a sellout home crowd at St. Ursula Academy. The 13th ranked Buckeyes (11-2) had quite the scare put into them by the Bearcats. Cincinnati led for much for the second quarter. UC trailed by just one at the half, 38-37, but a third quarter flurry by the Buckeyes sunk Cincinnati’s chances of scoring an upset.
All-American senior guard Kelsey Mitchell pumped in a game-high 31 points for the Buckeyes while pulling down 8 boards. Junior guard Sierra Calhoun posted 20 points, 12 of which came from her 4 three-point baskets. Junior guard Linnae Harper battled her way to a 14 point, 13 rebound double-double for the visitors from Columbus.
The Bearcats performed well in the low-post this afternoon. UC out-rebounded the Buckeyes, 46-44. Cincinnati posted 40 points in the paint to Ohio State’s 32. Front court leaders Shanice Johnson (17 points), Angel Rizor (15 points, 8 rebounds), and I’imari Thomas (15 points, 9 rebounds, 6-6 shooting) all performed admirably for the Bearcats.
Ohio State’s streaky outside shooting proved to be the difference this afternoon. The Buckeyes shot 11 for 29 from outside today, including a 6 for 9 stretch during the third quarter which put the game out of reach. The Bearcats also got into the habit of turning the ball over. The Buckeyes transformed Cincinnati’s 19 turnovers into 24 points. The Bearcats turned Ohio State’s 9 turnovers into just 9 points.
Cincinnati returns to action this Thursday evening at home against Bowling Green at 7 PM. The game will be televised live online at GoBearcats.com. Please continue to support your Bearcats both in person and online. Let’s make these big crowds at St. Ursula’s the norm.