McDonald Scores Career-High 27 Points in Loss at Cincinnati

Saturday, January 21

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 PM

East Carolina University

10-10 (1-6)

Cincinnati

14-5 (5-1)

Team	1	2	3	4	F
East Carolina	14	14	17	19	64
Cincinnati	17	16	22	19	74

Photo by: Rob Goldberg

McDonald Scores Career-High 27 Points in Loss at Cincinnati

January 21, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina's Bre McDonald scored a career-high 27 points in the Pirates' 10-point road loss to Cincinnati, 74-64, Saturday in the Fifth-Third Arena. McDonald shot 72.2 percent from the field (13-for-18) and had six rebounds, surpassing her previous mark of 21 points in a game.

Despite shooting 40.8 percent from the field and only having 14 turnovers, well below the team's average in league play, East Carolina was unable to overcome Cincinnati's offense. UC compiled a.537 field goal percentage and had four players scoring in double figures with Shanice Johnson pacing the Bearcats with a 22 point and 13 rebound performance for the only double-double of the game.

Antoinette Bannister had 11 points, nine of which were from downtown, while Kristen Gaffney chipped in 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

Cincinnati edged ECU 36-34 in rebounds and made 19 trips to the free throw line where the Bearcats were 12-for-19. East Carolina was scoreless from the charity stripe making just one appearance at the line in the entire game.

ECU forced 18 Bearcat turnovers in the loss and combined for 21 assists, with Alex Frazier leading the way with a career-high six helpers.

Head Coach Heather Macy

On Cincinnati Having Four Players Averaging Double Figures:
"We were concerned about giving up too many points, in which we did. But on the positive note, we finally shot it better today and have scored a little bit better than we have the last few games. I am disappointed that we gave up 74 points. With the way that we want play we aren't going to be able to win games with having that happen."

On Bre McDonald's Career Night:
"We reached a point in the game when I thought the game was about to get out of reach so I challenged her a little bit to be the player that she is an she came through."

On no long scoring droughts tonight:
"We scored enough to win. The bottom line is we have got to defend it and we did not do what we needed to do defensively, I'm disappointed in that. I am looking to meet up to work on it until we get better."

First Quarter
East Carolina dashed out to an early 7-2 lead but Cincinnati responded with an 8-2 run to lead ECU 10-9 midway through the opening quarter. Antoinette Bannister drained a three-pointer to put the Pirates in front once more, 14-12, but the Purple and Gold did not score again down the stretch. The Bearcats closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run capped with a Bianca Quisenberry three-pointer to lead 17-14 at the end of the period.

Second Quarter
ECU improved to shoot 33.3 percent from the field in the second quarter with Bannister leading the squad tallying six points. Kristen Gaffney and Dominique Claytor each had five rebounds in the first half helping the Pirates and Bearcats to be in a rebound stalemate each having 20 boards at the break. Cincinnati also improved offensively to shoot 42.9 percent from the field and outscored ECU 16-14 to lead 33-28 at halftime.

Third Quarter
The Purple and Gold opened up with a 7-2 run tying the game at 7:37 with a three-pointer from Bre McDonald making it 35-all. The Bearcats went on a 9-2 run over the next two and a half minutes to take their biggest lead thus far by seven. Cincinnati pulled ahead by as many as 10 in the quarter, and amassed that cushion once more to lead 55-45 at the end of the period.

Fourth Quarter
McDonald heated up in the fourth quarter, accounting for 12 of ECU's 19 points. She connected on six field goals on seven attempts and led the squad with four rebounds but it wasn't enough to help the Pirates overcome the deficit. A layup by the crafty senior with under five minutes to play made it a two-possession game as Cincinnati saw its double-figure lead quickly disappear. The Pirates shot 47.4 percent from the field but the Bearcats ousted them shooting 63.6 percent from the floor.

Up Next
East Carolina hosts No. 1/1 Connecticut Tuesday night inside Minges Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. on SNY/ESPN3.