UC Women Fall in Overtime at Western Kentucky in WNIT

Valerie King

Valerie King scored 21 of her 25 points after halftime, but it was not enough to keep it from being her final game as a Bearcat as the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team fell to Western Kentucky, 80-78, in overtime of the first round of the WNIT.

King, who concludes her career second in UC history and fourth in Conference USA in scoring with 2,156 points, scored 11-straight points for UC (15-16) in the second half to keep the Bearcats in the game and posted five of her team’s nine points in overtime. UC’s only other senior, Brittani Young, scored the go-ahead basket at the end of regulation and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds. Young and King conclude their careers tied for first in games played with 126.

Tiffany Porter-Talbert carried the Lady Toppers (19-13), scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, including the last eight points for WKU.

King found Anne Stephens for two of her 17 points and then hit a three-pointer to give UC a 74-69 lead with 3:40 left in overtime. After a Charlotte Marshall basket for WKU, Porter-Talbert scored two quick lay-ups to take the lead, 75-74.

Young put UC back ahead, but Porter-Talbert answered right back to regain the lead with 58 seconds left. King stepped up with a jumper to take back the advantage with 29 seconds on the clock, but again Talbert answered, scoring with 12 seconds remaining to go ahead for good.

UC had one more possession, but was called for traveling four seconds left and was forced to foul. Leslie Logsdon made one of two free throws for the final score.

Toni Slaughter scored a career-high 20 points for UC to go with nine rebounds and Micah Harvey handed out six assists. Stephens had a career-best 12 rebounds to go with her 17 points. King made just 3-of-12 three-pointers, but moved into third in Division I history with 338.

Carla Bartee and Logsdon each added 17 for WKU, who forced 25 Bearcat turnovers.

The Bearcats led 35-31 at the break and scored twice to pull ahead by eight. The Toppers got five straight points by Logsdon to reach within three points with 13:21 left, but the Bearcats scored 10 of the next 12 points to gain a 49-38 lead, their largest of the game.

The offense stalled on the Bearcats, however, as after a King bucket with 14:05 left, they did not score a field goal for five minutes, leading to an 11-2 run for WKU. Marshall had five points in the run that made the score 53-51 with 10:09 left.

King scored the next four points and Stephens scored a lay-in to regain an eight-point lead.
Over the next five and a half minutes, WKU went on another 11-2 run to take its first lead of the half at 62-61 with 3:02 left.

The teams traded the lead back and forth before King hit a three to pull ahead 67-63 with 1:42 left in the game. Talbert and Logsdon responded with scores to tie the game with 38 seconds remaining.

With 10 seconds left, King read the double-team and found Young for the go-ahead jumper, but out of a timeout, Talbert drove the length of the court to even the game with four seconds left and send the game to overtime.

Cincinnati kept it close in the first half thanks to Stephens and Slaughter, who combined for 23 of the Bearcats’ 35 points. Stephens got the scoring started at the 18:20 mark, giving UC the early lead. Harvey scored a basket and one and Stephens added another bucket in a Cincinnati run to put the Bearcats up 7-2.

Western answered with an 8-2 run of its own, going up 10-9, four of the Lady Toppers points coming from Carla Bartee. Cincinnati retook the lead on a 6-2 run, with all three baskets from Slaughter, putting the Bearcats up 15-12.

Logsdon answered with two buckets of her own, putting the Lady Toppers up by one. Stephens scored for Cincinnati with 9:05 remaining, but Western immediately drained a trey, and added another basket, leading by four.

Slaughter put Cincinnati back within two with 7:06 remaining and following another bucket by Talbert, posted a three of her own to bring UC within one.

Three’s from King and Twehues kept the Bearcats within one before a Slaughter basket gave Cincinnati the lead with 1:41 left on the clock. Two quick fouls by the Lady Toppers and three combined charity shots by King and Twehues gave Cincinnati the 35-31 lead to close out the half.

The Bearcats finish the year setting school records for three-pointers (177), three-point percentage (.366) and free throw percentage (.746).