[Box Score]CINCINNATI, Ohio -Â Eastern Illinois outscored Cincinnati 16-4 in the fourth quarter but can't overcome a 25 point deficit falling to the Bearcats 70-57. Erica Brown and Shakita Cox led the Panthers in scoring with 10 points a piece as EIU falls to 1-10 on the season. With the win Cincinnati improves to 4-6. EIU jumped out to a quick lead as Halle Stull opened the game scoring with a three-pointer at the 9:22 mark. Still finished the game with eight points and seven rebounds.
The Panthers opened the first quarter on a 5-0 run broken by a three-pointer from Cincinnati's Alyesha Lovett with 6:42 left in the first quarter. Lovett finished the game leading the Bearcats with 17 points.Â
The Panthers finished the first period down 18-14 despite eight turnovers throughout the first quarter.
The two teams traded three-pointers to open the second period as Kayla Steward drained a  shot from beyond the arc to earn her only points of the afternoon. The Bearcats scored the next 14 points following a three-point shot from Cincinnati's Jasmine Whitfield to put UC up 35-19 with 4:39 left in the first half. Whitfield finished the game with 16 points.Â
Cincinnati shot 66.7 percent in the second quarter scoring 25 points and taking a 43-28 lead into halftime.
The Bearcats relied heavily on their three-pointers throughout the first half as Cincinnati shot 72.7 percent from beyond the arc going 8-of-11.Â
Cincinnati started the second half on a 10-0 run to extend their lead finally broken by a jumper from Stull with Cincinnati leading 53-30 at the 7:09 mark. The Panthers countered with three straight buckets but could not get within 20 points as Jalisha Smith scored seven of her eight points in the third period.
Cincinnati went into the final period up 25 points leading 66-51Â as the Bearcats changed tactics and doubled their points in the paint from the first half scoring 14 points compared to EIU's six.
The final period was all EIU after the two teams traded buckets Cox made a layup to make the score 70-47 at the 5:45 mark and started a 12-0 run to finish the game for the Panthers.Â
The Bearcats did not make a single point the last 5:58 of the game, but Cincinnati's lead proved to be too much as the game would end with the Bearcats on top 70-57.
The Panthers managed to hold Cincinnati scoreless from beyond the arc as the Bearcats went 0-of-5 from three-point range in the second half. Grace Lennox contributed nine points while Phylicia Johnson tied her career high with four assists.
Cincinnati's Maya Benham and Ana Owens scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.
EIU has the next week off for Christmas before heading to Illinois-Chicago Monday, December 28th.Â