Bearcats Fall in Big 12 Opener as Oklahoma State’s Hot Hand Proves Too Much
CINCINNATI - The Big 12 debut didn’t go the way the Bearcats had hoped. On Sunday afternoon inside Fifth Third Arena, the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team ran into a red-hot Oklahoma State squad that couldn’t seem to miss from deep. The Cowgirls dropped 17 threes on the Bearcats and walked out with a convincing 91-63 win.
Cincinnati, now 5-8 (0-1 Big 12), simply couldn’t keep pace with Oklahoma State’s perimeter barrage. The Cowgirls shot 48% from the field and were dialed in from beyond the arc all game long. The Bearcats, meanwhile, shot 38% and hit seven threes of their own - a solid number on most nights, but not nearly enough in this one.
Still, there were bright spots for Cincinnati - and one major milestone.
Senior guard Mya Perry continued her stellar season, pouring in 21 points and reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career. She knocked down four triples, including the milestone bucket late in the fourth quarter. Perry’s been the heartbeat of this Bearcats team all year, and Sunday marked her 13th straight game scoring in double figures - the longest such streak to start a season by a Bearcat since 2012-13.
Freshman Joya Crawford also turned in a career-best performance, dropping 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting. She hit two threes and gave the Bearcats a needed scoring punch, especially in the second quarter when she tallied eight of her points. Crawford continues to show flashes of becoming a key piece for Cincinnati as the season progresses.
The game also marked the long-awaited season debut of freshman Dee Alexander, who missed the first 12 games due to injury. She made her presence felt immediately, checking in during the first quarter and scoring on a strong drive to the rim. Alexander added a block and finished with six points, three rebounds, and two steals - a promising start for a player the Bearcats hope can be a difference-maker down the stretch.
But even with Alexander back in the mix, Cincinnati was still shorthanded. The Bearcats were without four players, including starters Caliyah DeVillasee and Kylie Torrence, which limited their depth against an Oklahoma State team firing on all cylinders.
Early on, Cincinnati showed some fight. The Bearcats actually held a two-point lead at the first media timeout, but the Cowgirls responded immediately with a three out of the break and never looked back. Oklahoma State’s Haleigh Timmer caught fire in the opening quarter, draining five threes to help OSU build a five-point edge after one.
The second quarter is where things started to unravel. Despite Crawford’s efforts, Oklahoma State ripped off an 11-0 run that pushed the lead into double digits. The Cowgirls knocked down nine threes in the first half alone and went into the locker room with a 43-27 advantage.
Cincinnati tried to claw back in the third quarter - back-to-back buckets from Crawford and Destiny Thomas cut the deficit to 15 - but that was as close as they’d get. Oklahoma State kept the pressure on, and with Perry’s milestone three coming in the final minutes, the game was already well in hand.
There’s no sugarcoating it: Oklahoma State came in and shot the lights out. But for Cincinnati, there were still signs of growth - from Perry’s continued leadership to the emergence of Crawford and the return of Alexander. The Bearcats will need to regroup quickly, but they’ve got some pieces to build on as they navigate the grind of Big 12 play.