TicketsNov. 21, 2006
Game Notes
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SETTING THE SCENE: The 2006-07 of women's basketball team will be out to emulate the 2001-02 UC squad when they take on St. Francis () on Wednesday. The Bearcats enter the 7 p.m. contest at Fifth Third Arena with a 3-0 record and will try to become the first team since the 01-02 edition to get off to a 4-0 start. Current Bearcats assistant coach Tammy Douglass was a starter on the 01-02 team that finished the season 27-5 with a Conference USA Tournament Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The Red Flash are the third contest of UC's four-game home stand. UC closes out the home stand at Fifth Third Arena vs. on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.
UC LAST TIME OUT: Emy Ogide had a breakout career-game in UC's 65-60 win over and was the UC's leading scorer for the first time in her career. The 6-2 junior forward came off the bench to score a game- and career-high 18 points, doubling her previous best of 9 points set last year against on Feb. 21, 2006. Ogide also pulled in eight rebounds, helping the Bearcats edge UD, 41-40 on the boards.
The win upped UC's record to 3-0, the second consecutive season the Bearcats have started with three straight victories.
The Bearcats were shooting 45 percent from 3-point range coming into the game against . They managed just 26 percent against the Flyers.
w Sophomore Shelly Bellman dished out a career-high 6 assists, topping her previous best of 5. She also scored 12 points, the 17th time she has scored in double digits.
w For the third consecutive game, the Bearcats had three players score in double digits - Emy Ogide (18), Shelly Bellman (12) and Karen Twehues (10).
w In addition to her career-high 9 assists, freshman Carla Jacobs scored 7 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 6 steals.
w Though the team struggled from 3-point range, Karen Twehues drilled two of her three attempts. She can also play defense, corralling six boards and coming away with three steals.
w Before the UD game the Bearcats were averaging 87 points per contest well above the 65 points against the Flyers. UC shot 38 percent from the free throw line on 8-of-21 attempts. The Bearcats shot better from the field, converting 26-of-62 for 42 percent.
A LOOK AT SFU: Saint Francis () brings a 1-2 record into the contest, including two straight losses -- most recently against North Carolina-Charlotte, 82-72, and a close one to Duquesne, 58-57. The Red Flash are nine-time NEC champions with the most recent title coming in 2005. St. Francis, a school with a 2,000 enrollment, has established itself as a small-school dynasty, making the NCAA tournament nine of the last 11 years.
w The Red Flash enter the game on a two-game losing skid. UC has dominated the relatively new series, 2-0. The Bearcats have won both games by an average of 31 points - most recently a 74-39 drubbing in UC's season opener last year on Nov. 19.
w Sophomore forward Kanisha Garrett leads the Red Flash with 10.7 ppg.
w SFU head coach Jill Poe has a 51-41 record and is in her fourth season with the Red Flash.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: With the start against YSU, Carla Jacobs became one of nine true freshmen Division I point guards in the nation who started in their team's women's basketball season openers. Jacobs is the first UC true freshman starting point guard since Jolinda Lewis was in the 1995-96 season. Jacobs averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per exhibition game. She broke loose for 13 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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 coach of the year honors during her career.
6th SEASON OF UC WOMEN'S HOOPS: The 2006-07 season marks 's 36th year of varsity competition. 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 516-450, seventh most wins among BIG EAST schools. Under head coach Laurie Pirtle the Bearcats are 298-287 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 166-86 record and a .659 winning percentage since its opening in 1989-90, and a 118-32 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 Laurie 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 143 career 3-pointers, fourth in UC history, and coming into this season her .378 career3-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 Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.