#15 Bears defeat Bearcats, 76-70

Katrina Merriweather’s Lady Bearcats fell to (8-15, 3-8 Big 12) on Wednesday night following their 76-70 loss to #15 Baylor.

"Being out rebounded is not ok." said, Cincinnati head coach Katrina Merriweather "I felt like there was multiple moments tonight where we could have gone and won this game. So, tonight is pretty frustrating seeing that outcome."

The Bearcats were led by Senior guard Mya Perry, who finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-19 shooting, while grabbing three rebounds in the loss.

Freshman guards Caliyah DeVillasee (15 points, 5 assists) and Joya Crawford (11 points and 4 assists) both had big nights for Cincinnati, as the Bearcats backcourt continues to lead the charge for Katrina Merriweather.

Taliah Scott led the Bears with a game-high 26 points, shooting 7-19 (5-11 from three), while Jana Van Gytenbeek scored 19 points in the victory.

The Rundown

Cincinnati jumped out to an early 8-6 lead over Baylor following a made jumper from Mya Perry. That came after a 0-9 shooting slump from Baylor, which sparked a near five-minute scoring drought for the Bears. However, for Cincinnati, they had a similar game plan this evening, similar to the one they employed in their win over ranked Iowa State earlier this year, which was to get downhill and attack early.

The Bearcats controlled the glass early in the first quarter, as they outrebounded the Bears 8-6 in the opening segment of this contest.

Cincinnati took advantage of the Bears' struggles as they sparked an eight-point swing following a steal and layup for Perry, to give Cincinnati a 12-6 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Baylor responded to cut the deficit to one in the final seconds of the first quarter after a five-point swing. However, Cincinnati extended the lead after freshman guard Caliyah Devillasee facilitated the offense perfectly in the final 19 seconds, which resulted in a corner three from Perry at the Buzzer.

Cincinnati led 15-11 over Baylor after the first quarter.

The Bearcats set the tone early in the second quarter after Destiny Thomas snatched an offensive rebound for the putback. Freshman guard Dee Alexander followed suit the next possession, where she knocked down the midrange jumper for her first points of the evening to extend the lead to five.

Baylor responded after Bella Fontleroy scored a quick six to tie the game at 23. Taliah Scott responded with her first made bucket of the game from the top of the key, forcing a Cincinnati timeout where the Bearcats trailed 26-23. Joya Crawford tied the game at 26 after knocking down a three-point jumper as the shot clock expired.

Cincinnati trailed 36-33 at the half, following a 25-point second Quarter from Baylor. The Bears knocked down seven threes to secure their first lead since the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. Mya Perry led the Bearcats with 15 points.

Ramiyah Byrd tied the game at 43 with 4:28 to play following the offensive putback. Freshman guard Joya Crawford extended the Bearcats' lead with her second three-pointer of the night. Reagan Jackson joined the scoring party to extend the lead to six.

The Bears ended the third quarter on a 6-0 run, as they controlled a 56-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Cincinnati cut the Bears' lead to five with ninety seconds to play after a bucket from Kylie Torrance. Taliah Scott responded right back with a bucket on the other end to extend the lead back to seven.

Up Next

The Bearcats travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Jayhawks on Saturday with tip-off slated for 5:30.