By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Debbie Merrill of UC takes a shot over Houston's Kiemona Harris. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

Courtney McKinney and Brittany Richardson couldn't wait to watch the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team play Sunday afternoon.

McKinney, 14, and Richardson, 15, sat courtside at Shoemaker Center, anxious to see "how real basketball is played."

"I play for my school," said McKinney, a Millvale Junior High student. "Someday, I want to play as good as them."

The Bearcats didn't disappoint, cruising to a 79-69 Conference USA victory over Houston and extending their home winning streak to a school-record 20.

UC had one other record in mind Sunday but fell short of a record-breaking attendance figure. The program attracted its best crowd (7,246) in last season's home finale, an 85-71 victory over Louisville.

Against Houston, UC drew a season-best 4,105.

The Cincinnati Recreation Commission partnered with UC for the event, "taking ownership" of everything from pre-game face painting to the halftime show.

The CRC distributed 15,000 free tickets prior to tip-off and shuttled 15-person passenger vans from 32 Greater Cincinnati Community Centers.

UC women's basketball coach Laurie Pirtle directs her team. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

More than 35 CRC volunteers organized half-court, 3-point and free-throw shooting contests, and bombarded the stands with 200 CRC T-shirts.

"What's most impressive is that this is the most kids they've had here in years," said Kathy Lang, CRC Supervising Recreation Coordinator. "It doesn't matter (that the record wasn't broken) because it was such a good crowd."

Students wearing sweatshirts from Eastern Brown, Western Brown, Milford, McNicholas, Finneytown and Lynchburg Clay dotted the stands. The university also invited local Girl Scouts, women's basketball director of operations Jolinda Miller said.

"We want these kids to experience UC basketball and come back for the NCAA Tournament," Miller said.

The Bearcats secured a bid to host the tournament's first and second rounds March 23-25. A crew of four NCAA officials were on hand Sunday to tour UC's facilities and determine its accessibility for visiting teams.

Scottie Rodgers, assistant director for the Division I Women's Basketball Championship, said the members wanted to come when UC would be televised to ensure procedures can be duplicated in March.

"We wanted to get a feel for the facility, and tour hotels to make sure they're adequate for teams," Rodgers said. "I think things are going to be fine here in Cincinnati.

Debbie Merrill goes strong to the bucket. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

"The key will be for the city to embrace the event. We want to create an enjoyable and enthusiastic atmosphere, so it's good to see this kind of crowd."

The Bearcats won their fifth straight game, improving to 13-3 and 3-0 in C-USA. Their 20-game home winning streak ties Stanford for the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind Connecticut's NCAA-record 55.

Junior guard Valerie King drilled three of her five 3-pointers in the first 2:31, giving UC a lead it never relinquished.

"I was just at the right place at the right time," said King, who scored a team-high 25 points. "K.B. (Sharp) found me when I was open. She always finds me."

Sharp had 17 points and 11 assists, and sophomore center Debbie Merrill recorded her 13th career double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

The Bearcats prepared for a big crowd by designating signs in case the noise level was too loud. But coach Laurie Pirtle wasn't as concerned about that as she was Houston's first-half scoring.

"We usually don't give up 39 points in the first half," Pirtle said. "That's really not our style. "The kids really responded to the changes we made."

The Bearcats dropped into a zone defense and held the Lady Cougars (9-6, 1-2) to 30 second-half points.

Dozens of fans stayed after the game for a 30-minute autograph session.

"It's always nice to see little girls come up and say hi," Sharp said.

The YMCA will take another crack at the attendance record Feb. 23 when UC hosts C-USA foe Marquette.

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

HOUSTON (9-6, 1-2 C-USA)--Jones 12-22 4-4 30, Curl 1-4 0-0 3, Harris 4-8 2-2 10, Winters 1-5 0-0 2, Oliver 3-7 2-2 10, Hinkley 0-0 0-0 0, Fryters 1-2 0-0 2, Bush 5-16 0-1 69. Totals 27-64 8-9 69.

CINCINNATI (13-3, 3-0)--Alexander 3-4 1-4 4, Young 1-2 2-2 4, Merrill 9-14 6-8 24, Sharp 6-9 5-6 17, King 9-14 2-2 25, Dozier 0-1 0-0 0, Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Stevenson 1-3 0-1 2. Totals 29-47 16-23 79.

Halftime: Cincinnati 48-39. 3-point goals: Houston 7-16 (Jones 2-4, Curl 1-2, Oliver 2-3, Bush 2-7), Cincinnati 5-12 (Sharp 0-2, King 5-9, Dozier 0-1). Rebounds: Houston 27 (Jones 7), Cincinnati 32 (Merrill 15). Assists: Houston 15 (Oliver 4), Cincinnati 21 (Sharp 11).