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Cincinnati Press Conference
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Cincinnati tied a season-high with 10 made 3-pointers to down UCF 76-66 in the opening game of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Bearcats led by as much as 25 in the contest, jumping out to a 41-16 advantage in the closing minutes of the first half. Freshman Makenzie Cann led the way with a career-high 23 points for Cincinnati, with her six made 3-pointers the most by a Bearcat this year. Junior Jasmine Whitfield added 18 points for Cincinnati in the win.
Freshman Aliyah Gregory tallied 19 points for the Knights on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor. The Knights notched 42 of their 66 points in the second half, pulling to within nine points at 57-48 with 8:39 to go on a 3-point play by senior Andrea Hines.
The Bearcats responded with an 8-0 run over the next 1:48, with the fifth of Cann’s six trifectas opening up an 17-point advantage with 6:51 to play.
Cincinnati held a 41-38 advantage on the boards while picking up 25 points from its bench. The Bearcats were 22-of-29 from the free-throw line. UCF forced 16 Cincinnati turnovers in the contest.
Cincinnati advances to face No. 1 seed UConn in a Saturday quarterfinal at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Bearcats head coach Jamelle Elliott spent 12 years as an assistant coach with the Huskies following a playing career under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.