TicketsNov. 2, 2006
Game Notes
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SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will open the preseason portion of its 2006-07 schedule with an exhibition contest against DT3 on Friday, Nov. 3. Tipoff at Fifth Third Arena will be 7 p.m. Head coach Laurie Pirtle embarks on her 21st season as leader of the Bearcats women's hoops program. The veteran coach will field a young team this season with five sophomores and two freshmen getting significant floor time. UC returns all of the "Fab Five" from the 2005-06 freshmen class, rated one of the top 10 recruiting classes in the country.
DT3 LOWDOWN: DT3 is comprised of former collegiate players from schools such as Memphis, Alabama, Jacksonville and USF. The all-star team nearly knocked off Florida State University Wednesday, before succumbing in overtime when the Seminoles outscored them 16-2. FSU came away with the 90-76 overtime win to open their season. Victoria Crawford, a 2005 Memphis graduate, paced DT3 with 20 points and five rebounds.
FIRST OF TWO EXHIBITIONS: Friday's contest is the first of two preseason exhibitions that the Bearcats will host. Cincinnati will also play host to OBGR All-Stars (Ohio Legends) Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.
SURVEY OF SCORINGAND STARTS: The Bearcats return 78 percent of their scoring from last season, including the three leaders - senior Treasure Humphries (12.8 ppg) and sophomores Shelly Bellman (10.9) and Michelle Jones (9.1). Humphries and Bellman started every game last season, while Jones played in all 29 games and started 17. Sophomores Jill Stephens (13), Kahla Roudebush (6) and Angel Morgan (3) combined for 22 starts last year.
SENIOR PRESENCE: Seasoned senior Treasure Humphries, earned 2006-07 preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades. The guard garnered second team honors after the 2005-06 campaign, UC's first stint in the illustrious conference. Humphries, who broke the single game record for assists with 14 against Georgetown on January 25, 2006, will be a major contributor once again this season. Senior Karen Twehues broke the UC single season record for three-point field goal percentage (.444) and is fourth all-time with 135 career treys.
ON THE BRINK OF MILESTONES: Head coach Laurie Pirtle is five wins shy of 300 victories at UC. She needs 22 to reach the 400-win milestone as she enters her 25th season of her career. The winningest UC women's basketball coach has won eight coach of the year honors during her tenure.
36thSEASON OF UC WOMEN'S HOOPS: Last year the Bearcats celebrated its 35th season as a varsity squad. Pirtle is the sixth coach to be at the helm of the program. The 2005-06 squad gave UC it's 500th victory on Dec. 3, 2005 during the fifth game of the season, an 82-48 win over Eastern Illinois.
UC IN THE BIG EAST: Cincinnati enters its second season as a member of the expanded BIG EAST Conference. In the preseason polls of the league's coaches the Bearcats were picked to finish 12th among the 16 teams. The Bearcats have compiled a record of 71-77 against the current BIG EAST membership. Last year UC finished 11th in the regular season race with a 7-9 ledger.
NUMBERS GAME: The 2006-07 UC squad is so versatile, head coach Laurie Pirtle has counted 121 different combinations in which she can utilize her depth.
5/3 ARENA ADVANTAGE: Cincinnati enters its 17th season in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center with a 164-86 record and a .656 winning percentage since its opening in 1989-90, and a 116-32 mark in the past nine years.
PIRTLE POWER: In 2006, Treasure Humphries became the first Bearcat to earn All-BIG EAST honors when she was named to the all-conference second team. A total of 22 Bearcats have earned all-conference recognition during the Pirtle era.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS:
Senior Treasure Humphries has led the Bearcats in steals her junior and freshman year. She was a second team All-BIG EAST performer last season. Humprhies has all the threats to dominate at point guard or on the wing.
Senior Karen Twehues provides a strong outside threat for the Bearcats. The veteran also speaks four different languages.
Junior Emy Ogide has been named the most improved player during practice. She did not start playing basketball until her sophomore year of high school. The athletic post player can govern the paint and open up the perimeter.
The five sophomores, Shelly Bellman, Michelle Jones, Angel Morgan, Kahla Roudebush and Jill Stephens, tabbed the "Fab Five" were a top 10 recruiting class. They learned plenty about Division I basketball last season with 68 starts between them.
The freshman class of Carla Jacobs, Natasha Graboski and Stephanie Stevens is also a highly touted group. Jacobs (D-III) and Stevens (D-I) were both honored as Ohio High School Basketball Players of the Year. Graboski earned second team all-state honors.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats will open the 2006-07 season on the road against Youngstown State University Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:05 p.m. UC will hold its home opener at Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. against Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
TICKET UPDATE: Season tickets may be purchased by phone (513-556-CATS) or online via UC's athletic web site: GoBEARCATS.com, as well as in person at the Athletic Ticket Office at the Richard Lindner Center. Ticket office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Season Tickets:
VIP $75
Adults $60
Faculty/Staff $60
Youth (12 and under) $40
Single Game Tickets are available for purchase at the gate the day of the game only:
Adults $5
Youth (12 and under) $3
Groups* (15 or more) $2 each