YSU women fall to Cincinnati, 83-62
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Cincinnati used two big scoring runs just before and after halftime en route to an 83-62 win over the Youngstown State women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
Senior Heidi Schlegel led the Penguins, who fall to 1-6, with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 9-of-12 two from the free throw line. Senior Karen Flagg also reached double figures with 10 points.
Five Bearcats, who improve to 4-4, reached double figures led by freshman Bianca Quisenberry, who had a career-high 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists coming off the bench. Jeanise Randolph scored 17 points while Alyesha Lovett had 14 and Dayeesha Hollins scored 12. Marly Hill scored 10 points off the bench for UC.
The Bearcats closed the first half on a 15-5 run and opened the second outscoring the Penguins 13-3 to build an insurmountable lead 20-point second half lead.
Down 10 at the half, Schlegel recorded an old-fashioned three-point play to get the Penguins within seven, 37-30, at the 19:05 mark.
UC then scored the next 13 points to boost its lead to 20, 50-30, with 15:57 to go and led by as many as 21, 58-37, at the 10:37 mark.
The Penguins chipped the deficit down to 12, 66-54, after a 17-8 run over the next five minutes, but the Bearcats scored the next five points to regain a 17-point lead, 71-54, with 3:43 to go.
Senior Monica Touvelle hit a 3-pointer at the 3:20 mark to cut the deficit to 14, 71-57, but the Penguins would not come any closer.
For the game, the Penguins shots 42 percent from the field, while the Bearcats shot 52.4 percent for the game, including 54.8 percent in the second half.
In the first half, Penguins caught fire early, making five of first their six shots, including three 3-pointers, to jump out to a 13-4 lead with 15:24 left. The Bearcats got off to a slow start. UC made just three of its first 12 field-goal attempts.
Flagg made two 3-pointers while Liz Hornberger added the third, and a jumper by Schlegel put the Penguins up 11-2 in the game's first three-and-a-half minutes.
Cincinnati scored nine of the next 11 to get within two, 15-13, before Schlegel drilled a 3 to regain an 18-13 lead with 11:11 to go.
UC, though, scored four straight to get within one, 18-17, and forced a YSU timeout. A layup by Tish Walker and a jumper by Schlegel kept the YSU lead at three, 22-19, before UC's Bianca Quisenberry nailed a 3-pointer at the 8:36 mark to tie the game at 22-22.
The Bearcats outscored the Penguins, 15-5, over the last eight minutes of the half to take a 37-27 lead into the lockerroom at halftime. Over the final 12:40, UC outscored the Penguins, 31-12.
After making five of their first six, the Penguins connected on just five of their final 17 shots, while Cincinnati made 13 of its final 20 field-goal attempts and finished with a .500 first-half field-goal percentage.
The Penguins host Ohio Valley, Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.