by TULSA – IImar’I Thomas scored a game-high 28 points with nine rebounds and three blocks and Caitlyn Wilson added 20 points with six 3-pointers as Cincinnati won its second consecutive game, posting a 71-58 road win at Tulsa on Saturday.
With the effort Thomas moves into third place on UC’s all-time scoring list with 1,853 points behind only Cheryl Cook (2,367 points from 1982-85) and Valerie King (2,156 points from 2001-04).
Thomas, who scored a school-record 51 points in UC’s 76-61 win at East Carolina on Wednesday, did most of her scoring in the first and fourth quarters Saturday. She helped the Bearcats get off to a solid start with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in the game’s first 10 minutes and finished the contest with a 12-point fourth quarter thanks mostly to 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line.
Thomas comes up one rebound shy of her fifth double-double of the season while registering her 15th 20-point game of 2020-21.
Wilson made four of her six threes in the first half, including three in the second quarter when UC ended the half on a 15-7 run to grab a 37-29 halftime lead.
Tulsa sisters Maya and Wyvette Mayberry accounted for 37 of Tulsa’s 58 points. Maya Mayberry scored 10 of her team-high 22 points in the third quarter, including a layup with 5:39 left in the frame that pulled the Golden Hurricane within 41-38. Wyvette finished with 15 points for Tulsa.
Wilson answered for the Bearcats, hitting consecutive 3-pointers to give UC a 47-38 lead at 4:00 in the third quarter.
Thomas had a personal 9-0 run for UC midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Bearcats their largest lead of the day at 68-51 with 1:29 remaining.
Jillian Hayes contributed eight points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals for the Bearcats. Milan Schimmel (Umatilla) added seven points, seven assists and six rebounds.
