CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bearcats outscored Butler 24-9 in the fourth quarter on Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena to win by the final score of 72-65. The Bulldogs end their 2018-19 campaign with a 23-10 overall record. Kristen Spolyar reached 1,000 career points in the setback.
 
Spolyar was one of three Bulldogs to end the game in double figures. She scored her 13th and final points of the contest in the closing moments of the third quarter to reach the accomplishment. Whitney Jennings led all players with a game-high 25 points and fellow senior Tori Schickel would end her BU career with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Butler led Cincinnati 61-55 at the final media timeout with 4:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers from the Bearcats would shift the momentum and allow Cincinnati to end the fourth on a 13-2 scoring run.
 
Antoinette Miller hit the first 3-pointer for Cincinnati with 2:04 left in the game to get the Bearcats back within one of Butler at 63-62. The second triple came on the very next possession from Sam Rodgers with 1:23 to play and Cincinnati would never trail again.
 
Miller and Rodgers provided Cincinnati with a one-two punch offensively going for 20 and 23 points respectively. They were two of four Bearcats to reach a double figure scoring total.
 
There were many scoring runs in the Sweet 16 matchup between Butler and Cincinnati.
 
Butler scored the first six points of the game to grab an early lead, but the Bearcats would respond with seven-straight before the first media timeout at 4:53 in the first. That 7-0 Cincinnati scoring run would grow to 15-0 and the Bearcats would own a nine-point lead at the first break 19-10.
 
Butler found their groove offensively in the second quarter to outscore Cincinnati 23-17. An 8-0 Butler scoring run would knot the scoreboard at 28-28, but a late field goal from Antoinette Miller would give the home team a three-point advantage after the first half.
 
The Bulldogs made adjustments at the half and would go on a 7-0 scoring run in the third to take a 46-45 lead at the media timeout. It was Butler's first lead since 6-4 in the first quarter.
 
That 7-0 run would move to 13-0 which gave BU a 52-45 edge. The Bulldogs ended the third on a 17-3 run to win the frame 23-12.
 
That score would flip in the fourth quarter with Cincinnati using their home crowd to take a 24-9 advantage. Miller and Rodgers would combine for 14 points in the fourth to take the Bearcats into the WNIT Elite 8.