Houston guard, Kyndall Hunter, making a strong zip pass to her teammate Sunday, February 1, 2026 in Houston, Texas | Abigail Sapp/The Cougar
The Houston Cougars squared off against the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 35th time in their only regular-season game on Feb.1 at the Fertitta Center for their Black History Month Celebration. Despite Cincinnati leading this series 24-10, the Cougars still bested the Bearcats 72-70 and won their first conference game of the season.
From the opening tip, Houston’s senior forward Kyndall Hunter started the game as she started scoring for the Cougars. As a result, Houston established the early lead and showed signs of composure.
The game slowed to 6-3 until Houston’s junior forward Jorynn Ross widened the lead, which sparked an 8-2 run for the Cougars.
Cincinnati kept the game within reach, but Houston ended the first quarter with a 16-9 lead.
The Bearcats came out aggressive in the second quarter as they found consistent ways to score. Despite this, Houston stayed resilient and remained composed as they responded to Cincinnati’s dominance with discipline.
The second quarter ended in Houston’s favor, as they led 35-31, as Houston dominated on both offense and defense. Additionally, Houston’s junior guard Kierra Merchant led the Cougars with eight points.
Cincinnati started the third quarter hot and tied the game at 37-37. Houston responded immediately and kept fighting.
Both teams went back and forth, but Houston remained calm. The Cougars’ defense held Cincinnati to 1-for-8 on their last field goal attempts, showcasing their dominance and pressure.
With three minutes remaining and the score tied 44-44, Merchant stepped up and expanded Houston’s lead as they forced the Bearcats to scramble for answers.
They remained on fire and dominant, as Houston kept scoring and dominating on defense during a 12-2 run in the final two minutes, with Hunter as the commander for the Cougars. The third quarter went down in the Cougars’ favor, with a lead of 51-44.
The fourth started the same way as the third, with the Cougars on top, as they kept the intensity on the Bearcats and ran with the lead. However, Cincinnati chipped the lead down to four points and looked to gain the lead. Both teams took jabs at each other as they looked to keep the lead for themselves.
The game was tied 67-67 with three minutes left, but the Cougars stayed resilient and took the lead back.
With 30 seconds left, both teams had opportunities to win as the game was tied again at 69-69. The Bearcats took their chance and made a free throw to take the lead 70-69 with five seconds left.
On the final drive of the game, Hunter rose up with confidence and drilled a game-winning three, giving Houston its first conference win over Cincinnati, 72-70.
Hunter was on fire, finishing with 23 points, four rebounds and two steals as she started and ended the game for the Cougars. She created separation, knocked down key shots and forced Cincinnati to play out of rhythm. Additionally, Hunter showcased success on offense from start to finish.
Additionally, Merchant was also hot with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals.
This game showed what the Cougars are made of and their potential. The Cougars will carry this confidence into their next matchup against the No.12 TCU Horned Frogs on Feb.4 at the Schollmaier Arena.
sports@thedailycougar.com
