Bearcats Fall Short in WNIT Quarterfinals Against TCU

Antoinette Miller scored a game-high 25 points but it wasn’t enough as the Cincinnati Bearcats were defeated 69-55 by the TCU Horned Frogs in the quarterfinals of the Women’s NIT.

Miller connected on 8-of-21 shots from the field, but went just 2-of-9 from three for the Bearcats (24-11), who had won three-straight games over Youngstown State, Minnesota and Butler to reach Sunday’s quarterfinal. Miller wasn’t the only Bearcat to have trouble from beyond the arc, as UC shot just 12.5 percent from distance, with Miller’s triples the only two made by the entire team. Iimar’i Thomas tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, but no other Bearcat scored in double figures.

Meanwhile, TCU got 20 points from Amy Okonkwo, 16 from Jordan Moore and 10 from Lauren Heard. The Horned Frogs also made only two three-points, but they outscored the Bearcats 19-9 at the free throw line and shot 45.3 percent from the field overall. The Bearcats were a few steps behind at 34.4 percent. TCU also had a 46-33 edge on the glass.

The game really came apart for UC in the fourth quarter when they only managed five points on a disastrous 1-of-14 shooting effort.

Despite falling short in the tournament, the Bearcats still managed to reach 24 wins in their first season under head coach Michelle Clark-Heard. Perhaps next season will feature even more success.