Tonight, Katrina Merriweather and the Bearcats (9-6, 1-3 Big 12) picked up their first Big 12 victory following a 64-63 victory over Central Florida (9-5). A back-and-forth battle that came down to the final buzzer as Sophomore guard A’riel Jackson silenced the Knights with a game winning putback with 0.5 seconds remaining to secure the Bearcats first Big 12 victory.
“Really proud of this team today because of their fight.” said Katrina Merriweather. “There have been multiple times throughout the season where the game could have gone either way. Today we were able to make the right play, and that shows tremendous growth. We are able to find ways to win no matter what it looks like. The single handily most important things are this team did this together.”
The Bearcats were led by Malea Williams who finished with a career high 17 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 64% from the field (7-11 FG). 15 of those 17 points came in the second half where he and Jillian Hayes combined for 25 of the Bearcats 36 second half points.
Hayes, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds as the senior continues to be glue for Katrina Merriweather and the Bearcats. Hayes was held to just two points in the first half but was able to find some offensive rhythm in the second half.
Braylyn Milton set the tone early for the Bearcats after scoring nine points in the first quarter. However, she finished with just three second half points, but those three came when the Bearcats needed it the most with a huge three point shot late in the fourth quarter. Milton embraced her role this evening as Mya Jackson was unavailable for the Bearcats due to injury, the junior knew she would have to step up vs a high-powered Knights team.
The Rundown
Reagin Jackson would knock down here first field goal attempt of the night, scoring the first points of the evening. The freshman was looking to fill big shoes with starting guard Mya Jackson out due to injury. The Bearcats would jump out to an early 7-2 lead following five consecutive points after Malea Williams and Braylyn Milton each buried their first field goal attempts of the night.
Central Florida would respond with seven quick of their own, all seven scored by leading scorer Katlin Peterson. The junior guard was doing a fantastic job at getting downhill and attacking in the opening minutes, which is something she has done well all season. The Knights offense was starting to come alive after an offensive board led to an easy putback for the Knights, leaving Katrina Merriweather visibly frustrated following that sequence, resulting in a timeout.
The young Bearcats team responded well out of the timeout as Milton buried her second three of the night, sparking a nine-point run in favor of the Bearcats. A momentum changing sequence for the Bearcats after Clarissa Craig established her presence on the block converting on a huge and-1 opportunity. Milton would continue her hot start the very next possession burying her third three of the night as she was looking to pour it on the Knights here this evening.
The Bearcats held a 17-12 lead after the first quarter behind nine points from Milton. However, for the Knights, Peterson was leading the charge as she had 10 of the Knights 12 first quarter points. However, outside of Peterson, the Knights offense was silent as they shot just 29% from the field in the first ten minutes of action. The Bearcats on the other hand shot nearly 43% to start the game, which was great sign as they looked to pick up their first ever Big 12 victory.
The Knights offense would go cold in the second quarter after Peterson’s first basket as they were held without a field goal for nearly five consecutive minutes. The Bearcat’s defense was doing a tremendous job at taking away the high-powered Knights offense as they held a 22-17 lead with 4:45 left in the first half. However, the Knights held Bearcats leading Scorer Jillian Hayes scoreless through the team’s first 18 minutes of play.
The Bearcats would take a 28-23 lead at the break, led by nine first half points from Milton. The Bearcats saw seven different score in the first half, while the Knights had just three, with 18 of their 23 points coming from Peterson. Outside of that, the Knights were ice cold on the offensive end shooting just 27% from the field. A physical matchup to say the least but this one would come down to the second half as both team searches for their first Big 12 victory.
The Bearcats would jump out to a 39-29 lead following a huge and-1 from Jillian Hayes, her first field goal of the night. The very next possession, Hayes would bury her first three-point attempt of the night in front of the Bearcats bench to force a Central Florida timeout. The Bearcats offense has started to click, and it all ran through the Cincinnati native, and it was a matter of time before she got going offensively.
The Bearcats continued to fire the deep ball, as they buried four triples in the third quarter after Malea Williams launched one for Calhoun Street to give the Bearcats a 47-38 lead. However, Paterson wasn’t shying away from competition here, as she continued to shoot lights out after burying a huge three sparking some light for the Knights. The Knights were looking to spark some momentum down the stretch after a slow start to the second half, but ultimately the Bearcats led 49-43.
The Knights would spark some momentum as they upped the pressure on the Bearcats as they cut the Bearcats lead to so single digits halfway through the fourth quarter. Peterson was doing everything she could to keep the Knights close after finishing through contact where shed convert the and-a play, to make this a 59-55 game with 2:55 remaining. The Knights would get as cut the deficit to as much as one, with just over a minute of play, before A’riel Jackson buried two crucial free throws to extend their lead.
A chippy battles all night boiled over towards the end after Peterson and Bearcats Taziah Jenks wound up in a little skirmish after Peterson drew contact for the and-1 opportunity. The Knights would finish the three-point play, taking a 63-62 lead over the Bearcats with 15 seconds remaining. However, A’riel Jackson called her own number in an Iso situation on the final possession, where she grabbed her own miss and laid it in to give the Bearcats a 64-63 lead with 0.5 seconds remaining, that would seal the deal for the Bearcats.
Up Next
The Bearcats (9-6, 1-3 Big 12) will be back in action this Saturday as they travel to Provo, Utah to take on the BYU Cougars.
