Wednesday, January 23
Cincinnati, Ohio
6 p.m.
University of Houston
57
at
68
Cincinnati
1
2
3
4
F
Houston
15
21
9
12
57
Cincinnati
14
17
22
15
68
Houston Falls at Cincinnati
1/23/2019 8:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Despite loss, Cougars match best 5-game start in conference play since joining The American
CINCINNATI – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team dropped a tough 68-57 decision on the road against Cincinnati on Wednesday inside Fifth Third Arena.
The action started fast with the Cougars grabbing an early 4-1 lead on buckets from Angela Harris and Tatyana Hill. After a Cincinnati bucket cut the lead back to one, the Cougars answered with a fast-break layup from Dorian Branch and a 3-pointer from Serithia Hawkins to extend the advantage to 9-3. Cincinnati would respond however, using a 6-2 run over the middle of the quarter to cut the deficit back to 11-9 with 3:07 remaining.
Following the media timeout, Cincinnati would grab their first lead of the game, on a 3-pointer from Antoinette Miller, but Houston would counter with back-to-back buckets from Hawkins and Julia Blackshell-Fair to take a 15-14 lead after one quarter.
Houston grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and held a 13-10 advantage on the boards to give the Cougars the lead after 10 minutes.
The quick pace continued into the second quarter, with the teams trading scores throughout the majority of the first five minutes. The lead changed hands five times before the under-five media timeout, however the Cougars used a 4-0 spurt with buckets from Octavia Barnes and Harris to push the advantage to 23-20 with 4:42 remaining in the half.
Neither team was able to build a run in the waning minutes of the second half, as the teams traded scores over the final four minutes of the period. Houston extended its lead to five on a big 3-pointer from Barnes and would take that advantage into the locker room following buckets from Hill and Dymond Gladney to give Houston a 36-31 lead.
Houston shot 41.7 percent (15-of-36) in the first half, while limiting the Bearcats to 37.9 shooting on six fewer shots. The Cougars forced seven first-half turnovers, leading to an 8-0 advantage in points off turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
The pace slowed tremendously to open the third quarter, which worked out in Cincinnati's favor. Hill knocked down the first bucket of the half to give Houston a 38-31 lead, but Cincinnati responded with five-straight points from Miller and an Ilmar'I Thomas layup to pull within two at 40-38 at the under-5 media timeout.
Cincinnati knocked down a pair of free throws out of the timeout and gained the lead for the first time in the second half on a bucket from Miller on the next possession. Houston stopped the 6-0 run with a bucket from Barnes on its next trip down the floor, but Cincinnati scored six of the next eight to build a 48-44 advantage with 1:45 remaining in the period. The Bearcats would hold the Cougars without a field goal over the final 2:48 while adding five more points to take a 53-45 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Houston's drought continued into the fourth quarter as the Bearcats continued to hold Cougars scoreless for the first 2:26 of the quarter while building a 57-45 lead. The Cougars would cut the deficit to five late in the fourth quarter on a 3-point play from Harris with 1:31 remaining, but they were unable to pull any closer before eventually falling, 68-57.
THE BASICS
Score: Cincinnati 68, Houston 57
Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio | Fifth Third Arena
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Julia Blackshell-Fair led the Cougars as the only player in double-figures with 13 points, scoring double digits for the third straight game. Angela Harris and Octavia Barnes each had nine points, while Serithia Hawkins and Tatyana Hill added eight each. Hawkins led the Cougars on the glass, matching her season-high, with 12 rebounds.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats saw a trio of players reach double-figures in scoring, including a game- and career-high 21 from Antoinette Miller. Ilmar'I Thomas added 16 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Florence Sifa scored 10.
NEWS AND NOTES
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston returns home to the Fertitta Center to meet Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tipoff against the Golden Hurricane is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the contest will serve as Houston's Play4Kay game.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive daily information and in-game updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter. Fans can also catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at facebook.com/UHCougarWBB.
The action started fast with the Cougars grabbing an early 4-1 lead on buckets from Angela Harris and Tatyana Hill. After a Cincinnati bucket cut the lead back to one, the Cougars answered with a fast-break layup from Dorian Branch and a 3-pointer from Serithia Hawkins to extend the advantage to 9-3. Cincinnati would respond however, using a 6-2 run over the middle of the quarter to cut the deficit back to 11-9 with 3:07 remaining.
Following the media timeout, Cincinnati would grab their first lead of the game, on a 3-pointer from Antoinette Miller, but Houston would counter with back-to-back buckets from Hawkins and Julia Blackshell-Fair to take a 15-14 lead after one quarter.
Houston grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and held a 13-10 advantage on the boards to give the Cougars the lead after 10 minutes.
The quick pace continued into the second quarter, with the teams trading scores throughout the majority of the first five minutes. The lead changed hands five times before the under-five media timeout, however the Cougars used a 4-0 spurt with buckets from Octavia Barnes and Harris to push the advantage to 23-20 with 4:42 remaining in the half.
Neither team was able to build a run in the waning minutes of the second half, as the teams traded scores over the final four minutes of the period. Houston extended its lead to five on a big 3-pointer from Barnes and would take that advantage into the locker room following buckets from Hill and Dymond Gladney to give Houston a 36-31 lead.
Houston shot 41.7 percent (15-of-36) in the first half, while limiting the Bearcats to 37.9 shooting on six fewer shots. The Cougars forced seven first-half turnovers, leading to an 8-0 advantage in points off turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
The pace slowed tremendously to open the third quarter, which worked out in Cincinnati's favor. Hill knocked down the first bucket of the half to give Houston a 38-31 lead, but Cincinnati responded with five-straight points from Miller and an Ilmar'I Thomas layup to pull within two at 40-38 at the under-5 media timeout.
Cincinnati knocked down a pair of free throws out of the timeout and gained the lead for the first time in the second half on a bucket from Miller on the next possession. Houston stopped the 6-0 run with a bucket from Barnes on its next trip down the floor, but Cincinnati scored six of the next eight to build a 48-44 advantage with 1:45 remaining in the period. The Bearcats would hold the Cougars without a field goal over the final 2:48 while adding five more points to take a 53-45 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Houston's drought continued into the fourth quarter as the Bearcats continued to hold Cougars scoreless for the first 2:26 of the quarter while building a 57-45 lead. The Cougars would cut the deficit to five late in the fourth quarter on a 3-point play from Harris with 1:31 remaining, but they were unable to pull any closer before eventually falling, 68-57.
THE BASICS
Score: Cincinnati 68, Houston 57
Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio | Fifth Third Arena
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Julia Blackshell-Fair led the Cougars as the only player in double-figures with 13 points, scoring double digits for the third straight game. Angela Harris and Octavia Barnes each had nine points, while Serithia Hawkins and Tatyana Hill added eight each. Hawkins led the Cougars on the glass, matching her season-high, with 12 rebounds.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats saw a trio of players reach double-figures in scoring, including a game- and career-high 21 from Antoinette Miller. Ilmar'I Thomas added 16 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Florence Sifa scored 10.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Despite the loss, Houston still matched its best start in American Athletic Conference play since joining the league. The Cougars are 3-2 in league games.
- Serithia Hawkins' 12 rebounds in the contest gives her 854 in her career, making her just the fourth Cougar in program history to eclipse the 850 rebound mark.
- The Cougars forced Cincinnati to turn the ball over 15 times in the game, extending their streak to 18-consecutive games of 15 or more turnovers forced this season.
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston returns home to the Fertitta Center to meet Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tipoff against the Golden Hurricane is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the contest will serve as Houston's Play4Kay game.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive daily information and in-game updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter. Fans can also catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at facebook.com/UHCougarWBB.
Team Stats
F-288
F-140
FG%
.348
.404
3FG%
.083
.364
FT%
.538
.818
RB
41
43
TO
11
15
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
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