Cincinnati Beats UCF in Big 12 Women’s Tournament First Round
The Cincinnati Bearcats outlasted the UCF Knights, 67-62, in the first round of the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Thursday.
The matchup pitted two of the four new members of the Big 12 Conference. Another, Houston, lost to Texas Tech earlier on Thursday.
Cincinnati (14-16) will face West Virginia at 8 p.m. Friday in the second round of the tournament. The Knights (12-17) wrapped up their first Big 12 campaign.
The Bearcats entered the game having lost six of their previous seven games dating back to a 69-57 loss to BYU, which plays on Friday. Cincinnati’s only win in that stretch was against Texas Tech.
Cincinnati was down at the break, 35-25, and rallied behind four players that finished in double figures, led by A’riel Jackson, who finished with 14 points.
Malea Williams and Reagan Jackson each had 12 points for the Bearcats, while Jillian Hayes added 11 points and 12 rebounds. While she only shot 1-for-6 from the floor, she made nine free throws.
UCF’s Kaitlin Peterson had an incredible game, as she scored 21 points on 11-of-23 shooting, including three 3-pointers. She also went 6-for-7 from the free throw line and she grabbed six rebounds. But no other Knights finished in double figures. Timia Ware came closest with nine points.
The Knights finished the season with seven straight losses. The Knights’ last win of the season came against Texas Tech last month.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
