UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Senior guard Ana Owens hit the game-winning layup with five seconds left on the clock, as No. 4 seed Cincinnati earned its first bid to The American Women’s Basketball Semifinals in a 66-65 thriller over No. 12 seed Tulsa at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Bearcats will face No. 1 seed UConn at 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday, March 5.


 
Cincinnati put four players in double-figure scoring, as Shanice Johnson led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. Angel Rizor had 15 points, while Nikira Goings and IImar’I Thomas each chipped in with 10 points. Tulsa shot 46 percent from the field and was led by Shug Dickson with 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Bearcats opened their American Championship action with a 6-0 run, but Tulsa battled back to with a 14-6 spurt to take a two-point lead (14-12) in the first quarter. Cincinnati’s Goings hit a jump shot to tie the game with 53 seconds left before the first buzzer, but Tulsa scored the final four points of the opening frame, including a buzzer-beater layup by Erika Wakefield, to lead 18-14 at the end of one. 
 
Strong defense was displayed on both ends of the court in the second quarter, as Tulsa scored the only two baskets through the first five minutes to expand its lead to nine points (23-14) after a 3-pointer from Dickinson. Cincinnati answered with a 6-0 run to close the gap to three points, as Shanice Johnson collected five points during that span. The Rizor scored in the paint to get the Bearcats within two points with 28 seconds left in the first half, but Wakefield hit her second buzzer-beater of the night to increase Golden Hurricane’s lead to 27-23 at halftime.
 
Back and forth action in the third quarter led to five lead exchanges throughout the frame with Tulsa using an 8-0 run sparked by trey from Dickson, as the Golden Hurricane to move out to a seven-point lead. The Golden Hurricane shot 69.2 percent in the third quarter to take a 50-46 lead into the fourth quarter after Cincinnati’s Sam Rodgers hit a 3-pointer in the final 34 seconds to trim the deficit to four points.
 
A 7-0 run for Cincinnati, guided by Owens’ five points gave the Bearcats a 55-52 lead, forcing Tulsa to take a timeout. The game remained within two points through seven lead exchanges until Owens got to the rim for the final layup of the game.