Cincinnati Women’s Basketball: Bearcats come up short in 74-71 overtime loss to Toledo

After falling short in a 74-71 overtime loss against Toledo at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday morning, the Bearcats drop to 2-2 with an upcoming road trip to Lindenwood less than a week away.

Cincinnati trailed 29-23 at halftime before going on an 11-3 run and taking a 45-44 lead into the fourth quarter. Jillian Hayes racked up 12 points in the third quarter alone to fuel the impressive run.

It appeared the Bearcats would be able to escape with a win before Toledo went on a 7-0 run to end regulation tied at 58 apiece. Mya Jackson missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Toledo was able to take control in overtime behind senior backcourt duo Quinesha Lockett and Sophia Wiard. Lockett finished with a team-high 19 points, two assists and two rebounds in the overtime win.

Cincinnati Women’s Basketball: Bearcats come up short in 74-71 overtime loss to Toledo

Hayes and Jackson played at a high level for the Bearcats but didn’t have enough left in overtime to pull out a victory. Jackson scored a game-high 24 points, four rebounds and two assists in the loss.

Since struggling in the season opener at Louisville, Hayes has been great with 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against the Rockets. Caitlyn Wilson compiled nine points, five rebounds and one steal.

The Bearcats will look to bounce back at Lindenwood on Monday night. Head coach Michelle Clark-Heard talked about the 74-71 overtime loss to Toledo in a postgame interview via Cincinnati Athletics.

"“We made a lot of ill advised mistakes. We had a lot of people at different positions foul out. We had to do different things and scramble at times. I’m really proud of our effort. We came back and had a really good couple of quarters. Down the stretch, we shouldn’t have gone into overtime but this is learning and growing. You would rather learn from a win. This is one that hurts. That’s a really good team. They’re going to win a lot of games but we’re always trying to make sure we can protect our home court. We have to go back, clean up some things and make sure that everyone is on the same page. It just didn’t go our way. We turned it over 18 times and shot 65% from the free throw line. Those are things we have to clean up.”"