TicketsJan. 10, 2007
Game Notes
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UC vs. Notre Dame
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Site: Joyce Center (11,418), South Bend, Ind.
Tickets: www.und.com
Live Stats: www.und.com
TV: None.
Radio: CATSVision (Tommy Gelehrter).
Last Meeting: ND 75, UC 66 in overtime on Feb. 25, 2006 at Fifth Third Arena.
SETTING THE SCENE: The Bearcats will play against Notre Dame at the Joyce Center for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century. They take on the Fighting Irish on Wednesday, Jan. 10 in their second consecutive BIG EAST road game. Both schools bring a 10-4 overall record into the contest. Cincinnati needs to recover from its worst offensive output of the season, a 67-49 loss to USF on Jan. 3, dropping them to 1-2 in the BIG EAST. UC hopes to avenge an overtime loss to the Fighting Irish at Fifth Third Arena suffered last season. Notre Dame is 1-0 in the conference, coming off a 64-61 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 2.
STORY LINES:
wThe Bearcats and Fighting Irish both feature balanced offenses. Neither team has a player averaging more than 15.0 ppg, but six of the 10 starters are scoring in double figures. UC has three averaging double figures--Shelly Bellman (13.9), Treasure Humphries (12.6) and Michelle Jones (11.8) -- and Karen Twehues is knocking on the door with 9.9 points.
wUC has not lost back-to-back games this season.
wAll four of UC's losses have come against teams that were either nationally ranked or received votes at the time Cincinnati played them: No. 16 Louisville, No. 23 Arkansas, Northern Illinois and USF.
wThe Bearcats have four players in the top 15 of the BIG EAST assist/turnover ratio list. Freshman Carla Jacobs leads the BIG EAST with a ratio of 2.75. Treasure Humphries (9th at 1.50), Shelly Bellman (14th at 1.12) and Angel Morgan (15th at 1.05) also make up the top 15.
wUC's Treasure Humphries is third in the BIG EAST with 4.77 assists per game, helping the Bearcats to 18.1 a game, ranking them third in the conference.
UC LAST TIME OUT: UC suffered its worst loss of the season, a 67-49 setback to USF, dropping the Bearcats' overall record to 10-4 and 1-2 in the BIG EAST. The first 20 minutes was a defensive standoff with the Bulls taking a 26-23 lead. The Bearcats had their lowest first-half scoring output of the season and shot just 27 percent from the floor. UC held the Bulls to their second lowest first-half total of the season. The second half was all USF (12-3, 2-0 BIG EAST). The Bulls came alive, shooting 53 percent from the floor, while UC continued to struggle; only shooting 28 percent. Combined with the first half, UC made 16-of-69 shots attempted, a season-low. USF outscored the Bearcats, 41-26 in the second stanza.
wAt the halfway mark of the first half UC had its largest lead of the game, 13-9. USF used a 13-2 run to take a 22-15 lead with 5:34 to play before the half.
wMichelle Jones scored a team-high 15 points for UC and Karen Twehues grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points for a double-double, the second of her career.
wThe loss marked the worst margin of defeat for the Bearcats since their 77-62 loss to Pittsburgh in the BIG EAST Championship.
wThe 49 points scored was a season low. The Bearcats had not produced so few points since scoring 48 points in the 2005-06 regular season finale against Marquette (2/28/06).
wFor the first time all season, UC did not have three players score in double figures.
wTreasure Humphries had four assists, giving her 57 consecutive games with at least one assist.
wThe Bearcats outrebounded the Bulls, 51-40, marking the 12th of 14 opponents against whom UC has accomplished that feat.
BEARCATS DATA
DOUBLING DOWN:
wKaren Twehues scored her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Alabama A&M (12/18/06). She blocked two shots, a career-high. The Bearcats blocked three shots, a season-high for the team. She added her second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against USF (1/3/07).
wMichelle Jones recorded a double-double in the season-opener against Youngstown State (11/10/06). She scored 11 points and nabbed 10 rebounds for her second career double-double.
wShelly Bellman has four career double-doubles, including three this season: 14 points and 11 rebounds against St. Francis (11/22/06); 13 points and 13 rebounds against Murray State (11/28/06); and 17 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/21/06). She also had seven assists, on the verge of getting UC's first triple-double since Jane Anne Preston in 1992.
BEARCATS ATTACK THE BOARDS:
wThe Bearcats have won the battle of the boards in 12 of their 14 games this season. Only nationally ranked Louisville and Arkansas have beaten UC in that category. Cincinnati owns a +10.6 rebounding margin this season, third in the BIG EAST. The UC single-season record is a +6.7 margin.
STEALS AND DEALS:
wSenior Treasure Humphries, who led the team in steals both her freshman and junior seasons, is pacing the team in thefts with 34. She has had multiple steals in 12 of 13 games this season.
wHumphries has had three or more assists in 13 of the Bearcats' 14 games. She is third in the BIG EAST with 4.7 per game. The Bearcats are averaging 18.1 assists per game, third in the BIG EAST. She had four against USF (1/6/07), extending her streak of games with at least one assist to 57.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING:
wShelly Bellman is UC's leading scorer (13.9) and rebounder (6.9). She averaged 19.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg and was named to the all-tournament team of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational (12/1-2/06), hosted by Northwestern.
wBellman has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and in 27 of 42 career contests.
wThe Bearcats have had at least three players score in double figures in every game except for one this season (only two vs. USF). The Bearcats have had five players score in double figures in four games this season; Cincinnati's 83-51 win over St. Francis (Pa.) (11/22/06), UC's 86-70 win over Tennessee Tech (12/21/06), a 94-82 loss to No. 23 Arkansas, and UC's BIG EAST home opening win over Georgetown, 77-55 (1/3/07).
"A" FOR ACCURACY:
wSophomore Michelle Jones is shooting a team-high 55 percent from the field, fifth in the BIG EAST. She has converted on 67 of 123 attempts. She had career highs of 10 field goals made (10-of-13)and 24 points against Tennessee Tech. She was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
GETTING FLOOR TIME:
wShelly Bellman leads the squad in playing time, seeing the floor 31.1 minutes a game.
wSophomore Angel Morgan is second on the team in average minutes played with 29.2. She played the entire 40 minutes and scored a career-high 18 points, vaulting UC to a 74-57 win over Murray State (11/28/06). The win gave head coach Laurie Pirtle her 300th at Cincinnati.
3-POINT THREAT:
wSenior Karen Twehues is third all-time at UC in career 3-point field goals with166. She leads the Bearcats in 3-point field goal percentage at 41 percent.
MOST IMPROVED:
wJunior Emy Ogide is averaging 6.2 points a game this season, above her career average coming into the season of 2.2 points. She had a career game in UC's 65-60 win over Dayton (11/16/06). The 6-2 junior forward came off the bench to score a game- and career-high 18 points, doubling her previous best of nine points set last year against Georgetown on Feb. 21, 2006.
RECORD SHATTERED:
wUC broke a team record for 3-point field goals in a game in an 89-65 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 14. UC finished with 13 treys, including 10 in the first half.
INJURED BEARCAT:
wSophomore Kahla Roudebush will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
STREAKING:
wThe Bearcats extended their home-opener winning streak to 11 with the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
STIFLING "D":
wCincinnatihas held eight of its 14 opponents to 65 points or less and is averaging 65.3 points allowed this season. The Bearcats held St. Francis (Pa.) to 51 points, a season low.
EARLY BIRDS:
wThe Bearcats had their earliest season opener in school history, playing at Youngstown State on Nov. 10.
STARTING FRESH:
wWith the start against YSU, Carla Jacobs became one of nine true freshmen Division I point guards in the nation who started in their teams' women's basketball season openers.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Bearcats return home -- where they are 8-0 and 1-0 in the BIG EAST -- to take on No. 24 DePaul at Fifth Third Arena on Sunday, Jan. 14. The BIG EAST game will be featured on ESPNU and tips off at 5:30 p.m.