CINCINNATI – Facing a Big XII conference opponent on the road, the East Texas A&M University women's basketball team lost to Cincinnati 66-58 on Wednesday at Fifth-Third Arena.
The Lions fall to 1-1 on the season, while the Bearcats began their season with a win over ET. Wednesday served as a bit of a homecoming as Lion coach
Valerie King returned to her alma mater for the first time as a head coach.
The Lions opened with a layup from
Rezia Castillo (Houston – Clear Brook) layup and a 3-pointer from
Jadyn Fife (Liberty Christian) for a 5-2 lead, but the Lions went scoreless until a layup from
Samantha Serrano (New York, N.Y.) at 2:30. The Bearcats took advantage during that stretch and led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions narrowed the gap to 21-20 in the second quarter, with Serrano hitting a 3-pointer and
Cora Horvath (Oberwart, Austria) following with a layup. UC answered with the next four points before Serrano added another layup, and the Lions matched the Bearcats 13-13 in the quarter. The Lions went into halftime trailing 28-22.
The Lions answered UC's push to 36-27 with a steady third-quarter response, getting 10 points in the quarter from Castillo. Horvath's 3-pointer with 27 seconds left cut the margin to 45-43, and the Lions entered the fourth quarter trailing by two after outscoring the Bearcats 21-17 in the quarter.
The Lions trimmed UC's lead to 49-47 on Serrano's steal and two free throws with 8:11 left, but they could not keep the margin there as the Bearcats pushed the game back out. Castillo and Serrano added baskets before Fife hit a 3-pointer to make it 61-54, but the Lions committed five turnovers and seven fouls in the quarter. Fife has made at least two 3-pointers in two consecutive games. UC outscored the Lions 21-15 in the fourth quarter and closed out a 66-58 final.
Serrano scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, converted all five free throws and added three steals. Serrano has recorded at least three steals in two consecutive games. Castillo also finished with 20 points, going 8 of 16 from the field while collecting five rebounds.
Jailynn Brill (Lincoln, Neb.) recorded a season-high four blocks and six rebounds. The Lions have recorded at least six blocks in two consecutive games.
UP NEXT
The Lions visit SMU on Sunday in Dallas. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
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