TicketsNov. 12, 2006
Game Notes
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SETTING THE SCENE: After a rousing, 85-78 come-from-behind road victory on Friday at , the women's basketball team returns home to Fifth Third Arena to host the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, Nov. 14. UC tips off its home opener at 7 p.m. This is the first meeting between the Bearcats and the UABP Lions, though UC has experienced success against other teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 2-0 all-time record. The Bearcats knocked off , 77-62, on Dec. 28, 1997 and more recently Alabama State, 73-41, on Dec. 18, 2004, both at Fifth Third Arena.
A LOOK AT UAPB: Arkansas Pine-Bluff, a team that went 7-21 a year ago, returns three starters - including their leading scorer sophomore Arica Green. UAPB was fortunate to land Green who transferred from Dillard of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She averaged 11.3 points a game and led the team in steals (65), earning SWAC Freshman of the Year honors. She was held to 5 points on 1-of-12 shooting in the Lions' season-opening 80-50 loss against on Friday, Nov. 10. UAPB returns one senior, LaToya Thomas, who did not log any playing time against U-M. Freshman guard Tashalya Jackson scored a team-high 11 points in the Lions' loss to .
UC SEASON OPENERS: Prior to the win over on Friday, the road had not been kind to the Bearcats in season openers. Under head coach Laurie Pirtle UC is now 3-4 when the Bearcats open away from Fifth Third Arena. In UC's home openers the Bearcats are 23-12 overall and 13-7 during head coach Laurie Pirtle's watch. Last year the Bearcats won their opener at Fifth Third Arena with a resounding 74-39 victory over St. Francis (). You have to look back more than 10 years to find the last time UC lost in a home opener: a 76-73 loss to on Nov. 25, 1995.
THE LAST TIME UC PLAYED: In their earliest season opener in school history, UC overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat on Friday, Nov. 10. The Bearcats used a 9-0 run to start the second half and held the Penguins scoreless for nearly three minutes. UC regained the lead with 15:44 remaining in the game and did not relinquish it, leading by as much as 19.
· Senior Treasure Humphries was playing in a home game atmosphere away from Fifth Third Arena. Several family members and friends made the 45 minute drive to from , Humphries' hometown. Humphries scored a team-high 17 points, the 26th time in her career she has hit the double-digit mark, and shared the wealth with 8 assists.
· Sophomore Angel Morgan had career highs in points scored (8), field goals attempted (10), 3-point field goals attempted (4), free throws attempted (4) and steals (3) in her start against YSU.
· Sophomore Shelly Bellman, coming off the bench for the first time in her UC career, hit a 3-point field goal with five seconds remaining in the first half to cut the Penguin lead to eight and swing momentum in 's favor. She finished with a team-high 17 points, the 16th time in her career she has scored in double digits.
· Sophomore Michelle Jones picked up her second career double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
· In the past 30 games, Humphries, Bellman or Jones have led the Bearcats in scoring.
· With the start against YSU, Carla Jacobs is the first UC true freshman starting point guard since Jolinda Lewis who earned the job during the 1995-96 season. Jacobs averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per exhibition game. She was held to two points in the regular season opener.
· Junior Emy Ogide hit her first four shots and finished shooting 4-of-5 from the field for eight points.
ON THE BRINK OF MILESTONES: Head coach Laurie Pirtle entered the 2006-07 season five wins shy of 300 victories at UC. She needed 22 to reach the 400-win milestone as she entered the 25th season of her career. The winningest UC women's basketball coach has won eight career coach of the year honors.
36th SEASON OF UC WOMEN'S HOOPS: The 2006-07 season marks 's 36th year of varsity competition. Pirtle is the sixth coach to be at the helm of the program. The 2005-06 squad gave UC its 500th victory on Dec. 3, 2005 during the fifth game of the season, an 82-48 win over . UC's all-time record is 514-450. Under Coach Pirtle the Bearcats are 296-287 and have made postseason appearances in eight of the last nine years.
UC IN THE BIG EAST: 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 and earned a berth to the BIG EAST Championships.
SURVEY OF SCORING AND STARTS: The Bearcats return 78 percent of their scoring from last season, including the three scoring 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.
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.
HUMPHRIES HONORS: In 2006, Treasure Humphries became the first Bearcat women's basketball player 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 years. She was a second team All-BIG EAST performer last season.
Senior Karen Twehues provides a strong outside threat for the Bearcats. She has 138 career three-pointers, fourth in UC history, and her .378 career three-point percentage is second in the record books. 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 host at Fifth Third Arena on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.