Saturday, Dec. 14 - Sunday, Dec. 15
Highlights
Cincinnati 85, Xavier 78
University of Cincinnati women's basketball used an 11-4 run over the final four minutes of the game to come away victorious against Xavier on Saturday afternoon at the Cintas Center in the 2019 edition of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
Leading by as many as 14 points at the end of the first quarter, the Bearcats (6-4) saw the Musketeers (1-8) battle back to go up by two early in the fourth. Down the stretch, UC made a couple timely stops and managed to convert on the offensive end to pick up its second win in a row against XU and its first at the Cintas Center since 2013.
Junior forward IImar'I Thomas continued her dominant play with a game-high 25 points – as well as eight rebounds and a career-high-tying six assists – to notch her second-straight 20-point game and her fifth of the season.
Veteran forward Angel Rizor, too, carried over the momentum from last time out with career bests of 20 points and five steals.
Senior guard Sam Rodgers added 11 points, and career highs of eight rebounds and six assists. Freshman Chellia Watson chipped in a season-best 13 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds.
The Red & Black had a season best first-quarter scoring output and took a 30-16 lead into the second period. In the next stanza, the Bearcats weathered a surge from the home team and were up 44-37 at the halftime break.
UC increased its advantage to 10 (52-42) midway through the third period before the Musketeers put together a 20-9 run over the duration of the quarter to bring the score to 62-61, UC, with 10 minutes to go.
Creighton 56, Wichita State 46
Creighton was 7-of-26 from beyond the arc entering the final quarter, but connected on five of its six attempts in the fourth to erase a three-point deficit and turn it into a 56-46 win over Wichita State Saturday afternoon in D.J. Sokol Arena.
Wichita State (5-4) was held without a three-pointer for the second time this season, going 0-of-13 and shooting a season-low 24 percent from the field. The Shockers held a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but were outscored 24-11 over the final 10 minutes.
Mariah McCully registered her third straight game in double figures with 14 points. McCully also swiped a career-high six steals. She was the lone Shocker in double digits. Carla Bremaud returned to the lineup after missing the last game with a minor ankle injury, but was held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting. Bremaud has failed to register a point in her last two games.
The turning point came with 2:10 remaining in the frame after a Jaylyn Agnew three, Wichita State committed a foul while the ball was in flight, sending Rachael Saunders to the line. Saunders would hit both free throws resulting in a five-point possession for the Bluejays to cut the deficit to just four.
A pair of Maya Brewer free throws answered by a Creighton three-pointer made it 35-32 at the end of three quarters.
Three-pointers on the first two possessions for Creighton gave the Bluejays their first lead since the 2:20 mark of the second quarter. Creighton would go on to outscore the Shockers 14-2 in the first three minutes to flip a deficit into a 46-37 lead.
Wichita State missed its first six field goal tries in the final frame, allowing Creighton to build its largest lead, 53-41 with 3:30 to go. WSU would finish just 2-of-12 from the field in the final period.
Memphis 78, Arkansas State 50
A 19-0 run combined with stifling defense in the middle of the contest propelled the University of Memphis women's basketball team to a 78-50 victory over Arkansas State Saturday afternoon. The Tigers improve to 6-4 on the year with three non-conference games remaining in 2019.
Jamirah Shutes led the Tigers with 17 points while Keke Hunter posted a strong 11-point, 17-rebound double-double for Memphis. Hunter's 17 rebounds were a career high.
Memphis jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Red Wolves found an answer. The two squads exchanged baskets through the heart of the first quarter before the trio of Alana Davis, Jamirah Shutes and Julan McDonald strung together a 6-0 run to close out the first quarter for a 19-17 Memphis lead.
That 6-0 run was extended to an 8-0 run as Hunter hit a layup with 8:36 on the clock in the second quarter. An Arkansas State three-pointer put a stop to the Memphis run.
The Memphis defense ultimately held Arkansas State to just eight points in the second quarter, with the last field goal coming with 2:54 before the intermission to tie the game at 25-all. That proved to be the final time that Memphis and Arkansas State would be tied in the contest.
Stetson 66, Tulsa 60
There were 18 lead changes and 12 tied scores, but Stetson earned a 66-60 win over Tulsa on Sunday afternoon at the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla. The Golden Hurricane fell to 3-8 on the season, while the Hatters moved to 5-5 overall.
Kendrian Elliott had her fifth double-double of the season and 11th of her career with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Addison Richards also netted 13 points and Rebecca Lescay added 12. Alexis Gaulden registered six assists, Lescay had a team-leading four steals and Elliott had three blocks.
The Golden Hurricane had a 14-13 advantage in the third quarter for a 44-43 lead with one quarter to play, but Stetson outscored Tulsa 23-16 in the final frame for the win.
The Hatters outscored TU, 9-2, to take a 52-46 lead with 6:22 to play in the contest, but the Hurricane battled back for a 53-52 advantage at the 4:00 mark on a pair of free throws by Gaulden, a layup by Kayla Moutry and a three-pointer by Maddie Bittle. There were seven lead changes and four tied scores in the final four minutes of the game, but the Hatters finished on top, 66-60.
USF 67, Idaho 64
Maria Alvarez drained back-to-back three-point shots late in the fourth quarter to help the University of South Florida women's basketball team erase a five-point Idaho advantage, with two minutes left in the game, as the Bulls pulled out a thrilling 67-64 come-from-behind win over the Vandals on Sunday afternoon at the Yuengling Center. The win improves USF to 7-4 on the year while Idaho evens its record at 4-4.
Alvarez, a freshman guard from Miami, finished the game with a team-high 14 points, with 12 of the 14 coming in the crucial fourth quarter, on perfect 4-for-4 shooting. All four of her field goal attempts in the fourth came from behind the three-point arc.
The Bulls trailed for better than 37 minutes in the game, and by five points, 64-59, with 3:20 left, when the Vandals' Lizzie Klinker converted a three-point play for three of her game-high 15 points.
After exchanging turnovers and missed field goals, Alvarez took a pass from Sydni Harvey and connected on a deep three to cut the Idaho lead to two points, 64-62, with two minutes left in the contest. The Bulls defense then forced the Vandals into their seventh and final turnover of the game, leading to Harvey and Alvarez teaming up again. The Bulls went up for good, 65-64, with just over one-minute left, as Alvarez converted on a fade-away three, falling into the Bulls' bench, off Harvey's third assist of the day.
USF added two important free throws by Tsineke, with four seconds left, leading to the final outcome. The Vandals had one last opportunity to tie the game, however, their attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
In addition to Alvarez's double figures, Shae Leverett scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Elena Tsineke added 12 points.
Texas A&M 72, Houston 43
The University of Houston Women's Basketball team couldn't overcome No. 11/13 Texas A&M in a 72-43 loss on Sunday afternoon in College Station.
Dorian Branch, Tatyana Hill and Dymond Gladney led Houston with 10 points apiece.
An 11-3 run from Texas A&M would cause problems for the Cougars at the start of the second quarter. Bria Patterson would notch Houston's first points of the quarter after sinking a three-pointer from the corner. Houston would turn things up on the defensive end, forcing five Aggie turnovers and scoring six points off of those miscues. Gladney would score a team-high nine points in the quarter as Houston headed into the break trailing, 26-44.
The Cougars would take things to the paint in the third quarter, scoring two early buckets in the lane to start the frame. Texas A&M would answer with a 6-0 run and close out the quarter with a double-digit lead.
Houston would find scoring opportunities in the paint by way of buckets from Branch, Patterson and Hill down the stretch. Branch reached hit double-figures late in the frame. The Cougars would hold the Aggies scoreless for over two minutes towards the end of the quarter, but ultimately fall to the ranked Aggies in a 72-43 decision.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
