WNIT: Cincinnati Bearcats women exit after being outshot by Purdue Fort Wayne

In their 14th postseason appearance and first WNIT since 2019, the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Purdue Fort Wayne team that took command and never relented Sunday afternoon.

The Mastodons had a relatively easy victory, 84-58. They had played Power Five teams before, including Caitlin Clark's Iowa squad earlier in the year and Michigan. Beating UC gave them their first Big 12 win.

"This is a really big deal for our team," guard Destinee Marshall said. "We play hard every game. We try to stick to the game plan. Being able to keep our trust and our faith in our team and our coaches and everything we do. It's a nice big win."

Purdue Fort Wayne, now 23-12, led the entire way and by as many as 30 points burying the Bearcats from the perimeter. Shayla Sellers led all scorers with 22 points, hitting five 3-pointers. Marshall had 13 points and three triples. The Mastodons were 12-for-29 from way back while UC managed but one, from Braylyn Milton.

"Just keep shooting!" Sellers said of the Mastodons mentality. "They let us shoot whenever we have an open look and I'm grateful they allow us to do that."

Senior Jillian Hayes had 17 points and nine rebounds to end her UC season. Destiny Thomas had 11 points. Hayes has another year of eligibility, but is undecided on her future. UC coach Katrina Merriweather will be having conversations with players soon to determine UC's future roster.

"We knew they were a high-efficiency team," Merriweather said. "Unfortunately, despite our game plan, we weren't able to execute it the way that we had planned to. PFW played like a team that played well a few days ago. They just carried that momentum into today."

UC finished the season at 14-18.

Coaches have history

Merriweather's father coached PFW coach Maria Marchesano in AAU ball. Before Sunday's game, he texted her to wish her well.

"Today was a little bit bittersweet, but I couldn't be more proud of our girls and how we came out and played," Marchesano said. "On any given night we can go out there and beat anybody and on any given night we can get our butts kicked too. It definitely helps when we're hitting threes. I know this is the first year for Katrina. I know she's going to get it turned around."

Not in the cards

When a team with a big lead hits a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer, things are probably not going to fall your way. That's what Audra Emmerson did to give the Mastodons a 70-43 insurmountable lead.

Allowing 45 in a half hurts

Purdue Fort Wayne held the halftime advantage at 45-27 and at one time was up by 21. Their shooting cooled down some from the opening quarter, but they still were at 51.5% with Jazzlyn Linbo and Sellers hitting 10 points apiece. The key difference was the Mastodons making five from behind the arc, with UC going 0-for-3.

Mastodons moved early

Purdue Fort Wayne had a successful first quarter, never trailing and hitting 65% of their shots. That included a trio of 3-pointers, with two from Marshall. Her last forced a UC timeout near the end of the period as Fort Wayne upped their lead to 15.

Track record shows Merriweather knows March

Merriweather is in her first year coaching the Bearcats. Last year at Memphis she took the Tigers to the Super 16 of the WNIT. Previously at Wright State, she guided the Raiders to a pair of NCAA appearances and two visits to the WNIT. As a player she was on a UC NCAA team and as a graduate assistant under UC Hall of Famer Laurie Pirtle she helped the program to its first-ever NCAA victory in 2002.

"I think our program took a step forward," Merriweather said. "Making it into postseason is a really big deal. When we get back together, we'll have a lot of conversations about gratitude and taking advantage of important moments."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC Bearcats run into hot-shooting Purdue Fort Wayne, drop WNIT game