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UNCASVILLE, CONN. – Cincinnati got 19 points from junior Alyesha Lovett and used strong defense in the second half to outlast UCF 54-52 in the opening game of the inaugural American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Knights took a 26-24 lead into the halftime locker room after an evenly played first half with each team shooting over 40 percent from the floor.

The Bearcats came out strong to start the second half, opening the stanza on a 16-4 run over the first seven minutes of action to take a double digit lead at 40-30. UCF hung in, cutting the deficit to one point multiple times in the final five minutes and battling down to the game’s final possession.

Cincinnati’s defense tightened on the Knights down the stretch, as UCF was never able to retake the lead. Andrea Hines launched a halfcourt shot at the buzzer for the Knights that deflected off the back iron, and the Bearcats held on for a two point victory.
Field goal percentage gave Cincinnati the edge in the second half, as the Bearcats shot 52.4 percent in the second half while holding the Knights to 25 percent from the field.

Lovett had a game high 19 points and added nine rebounds for Cincinnati, while Jasmine Whitfield joined her in double digits with 10 points. UCF was led by freshman Zykira Lewis who notched 15 points.

The Bearcats advance to play No. 1 seed and regular season champion UConn in Saturday’s quarterfinals at 2:00 p.m.