Per GoBearcats:
The University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team lost to No. 25 UCF, 74-39, on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena.
The Bearcats wrap up the regular season with an 11-16 record and a 4-11 mark in the AAC. UCF clinches the AAC regular season championship with a 13-1 mark in the league. The Knights finished 21-3 overall.
Cincinnati’s next game will be in the 2022 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth from March 7-10. The tournament games will air on the linear ESPN Networks and on ESPN+.
UCF jumped out to a 33-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, forcing 10 UC turnovers and shooting 62% from the floor in the game’s first 10 minutes.
Cincinnati led 4-2 early in the first quarter after baskets from Jillian Hayes and Akira Levy, but UCF answered with an 13-0 run to take a 15-4 at the 4:20 mark. The Knights were led in the first frame by forward Destiny Thomas, who scored eight points and grabbed six boards in the game’s first quarter. Thomas finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
A steal and a layup by Levy ended the run, but UCF capped the first quarter on an 18-0 streak punctuated by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Alisha Lewis.
Cincinnati held UCF to just nine points on 3 of 15 shooting in the second quarter, but trailed 42-11 at the intermission.
In the third quarter, the Bearcats outscored the Knights, 17-13, with Arame Niang and Jada Scott scoring four quick points in the first minute of the second half. Scott scored six points in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Caitlyn Wilson cut the UC deficit to 22, but UCF’s Diamond Battles scored five straight points to end the third quarter by putting the Knights in front 55-28.
UCF started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to extend its lead.
