TicketsJan. 19, 2007
UC vs. Seton Hall
Date: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Site: Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
Tickets: GoBEARCATS.com
Live Stats: GoBEARCATS.com
TV: None.
Radio: CATSVision (Tommy Gelehrter).
Series: UC leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UC 77, SHU 58 on Feb. 1, 2006 at Walsh Gymnasium.
SETTING THE SCENE: The would like to even its BIG EAST record to .500 with a win over Seton Hall on Saturday, Jan. 20. Tip off is 3:30 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats are currently 11-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference, with both of their BIG EAST wins coming at home. UC is coming off an 89-76 loss to rival Xavier in the Skyline Chili Women's Crosstown Shootout in front of a sold out crowd. The Pirates are suffering through a five-game losing streak with their last loss at the hands of West Virginia, 79-54, on Jan. 16.
STORY LINES:
w The Bearcats have had seven different players score team-highs in their 17 games. Michelle Jones and Treasure Humphries have been UC's leading scorers in the last eight games. Humphries is scoring a team-high 13.4 points and is averaging 18.0 in the last two games, while Jones is averaging 18.5.
w UC and Seton Hall have played two common opponents so far this season -- and Notre Dame. The Bearcats and Pirates both dropped the BIG EAST contests--UC fell to No. 16 Louisville (12/14/06), 67-62, and SHU lost 88-67 to the Cardinals (1/6/07). The Pirates fared better against the Fighting Irish (1/2/07), losing by a smaller margin, 64-61. UC struggled vs. ND (1/10/07) with an 81-70 setback. The loss vs. Notre Dame started Seton Hall's five-game losing streak.
w The Bearcats have lost four of their last six contests, averaging 69.3 points, but are giving up 71.7 points.
w Four Bearcats are averaging double figures-- Treasure Humphries (13.4), Shelly Bellman (13.3), Michelle Jones (12.2) and Karen Twehues (10.0).
w For the second consecutive game UC will face an opponent with an Amber Harris on the roster. Xavier's Amber Harris scored a career-high 32 points vs. the Bearcats (1/17/07). Seton Hall's Amber Harris is averaging 3.7 points. She had six rebounds and two points in SHU's loss last season vs. the Bearcats (1/2/06).
w Last season's win vs. Seton Hall upped UC's BIG EAST record to 4-4. The Bearcats are hoping to duplicate last season and move to .500 in the conference with a win Saturday.
UC LAST TIME OUT: and Xavier played in front of a sold out crowd Jan. 17 in the Women's Crosstown Shootout at Fifth Third Arena. The game, centered on the theme "Celebrate Women in Sports", was a huge success for both teams and the community, but Xavier (14-5) used a monster second half to steal UC's show, 89-76. With the win the Musketeers nabbed the ornate Kendle Cup and dealt the Bearcats their first home loss this season. The official attendance of 13,176 is the largest crowd to ever see a regular season women's basketball game in the city of . It was the first sold out women's basketball game in Fifth Third Arena history.
w Karen Twehues had a double-double for UC - the third of her career - with 12 points and 10 boards.
w Treasure Humphries reached two milestones. Her team-high 20 points pushed her past 900 in her career, moving her up to 901. She had three steals moving her into sole possession for seventh on UC's all-time steals list with 169. She passed up K.B. Sharp who had 166 career steals.
w In addition to her putting together her fifth career double-double, Michelle Jones had a career-high four steals.
w The Bearcats out rebounded Xavier, 39-33, the 15th time in 17 games UC has out performed their opponent in that category.
BEARCATS DATA
DOUBLING DOWN:
w Karen Twehues and Michelle Jones both registered a double-double vs. Xavier (1/17/07). Jones, accomplishing the feat for the second time in as many games, had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Twehues, notching the third of this season and in her career, had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The last time two Bearcat players had a twin double in the same game was Dec. 21, 2004 vs. Loyola Marymount when Anne Stephens scored 11 points and grabbed 11 boards, and Toni Slaughter had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
w Karen 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. She added her second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against USF (1/6/07).
w Michelle Jones recorded a double-double in the season-opener against (11/10/06). She scored 11 points and nabbed 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. Jones tacked on her second double-double of the season with a game-high 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds vs. No. 24 DePaul (1/14/07).
w Shelly Bellman has five career double-doubles, including four this season, most recently vs. Notre Dame (1/10/07) when she had 13 points, 10 rebounds and added seven assists. She had 14 points and 11 rebounds against St. Francis (11/22/06); 13 points and 13 rebounds against (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:
w The Bearcats have won the battle of the boards in 15 of their 17 games this season. Only Top 25-ranked (12/14/06) and (12/28/06) have beaten UC in that category. 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:
w Senior Treasure Humphries, who led the team in steals both her freshman and junior seasons, is pacing the team in thefts with 40. She has had multiple steals in 15 of 17 games this season.
w Humphries also leads the team in assists. She has had three or more assists in 15 of the Bearcats' 17 games. She is third in the BIG EAST with 4.59 per game. She had four assists against Xavier (1/17/07), extending her streak of games with at least one assist to 60.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING:
w Treasure Humphries is UC's leading scorer (13.4) and Shelly Bellman is the Bearcats' leading rebounder (6.9). Bellman 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. Both Bellman and Humphries have been named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll this season.
w Bellman has scored in double figures in all but two games she has played this season and in 29 of 46 career contests.
w The 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:
w Sophomore Michelle Jones is shooting a team-high 53 percent from the field, 10th in the BIG EAST. She has converted on 86 of 162 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:
w Shelly Bellman leads the squad in playing time, seeing the floor 31.2 minutes a game. Treasure Humphries is second at 29.1. Angel Morgan is third on the team in average minutes played with 29.0. She played the entire 40 minutes and scored a career-high 18 points, vaulting UC to a 74-57 win over (11/28/06). The win gave head coach Laurie Pirtle her 300th at .
3-POINT THREAT:
w Senior Karen Twehues is third all-time at UC in career 3-point field goals with172. She leads the Bearcats in 3-point field goal percentage at 40 percent, seventh in the BIG EAST.
MOST IMPROVED:
w Junior Emy Ogide is averaging 5.9 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 (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 on Feb. 21, 2006.
RECORD SHATTERED:
w UC 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.
STREAKING:
w The Bearcats extended their home-opener winning streak to 11 with the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/14/06).
STIFLING "D":
w has held nine of its 16 opponents to 65 points or less and is averaging 66.4 points allowed this season. The Bearcats held No. 24 DePaul (1/14/07) to 44 points, a season low.
EARLY BIRDS:
w The Bearcats had their earliest season opener in school history, playing at on Nov. 10.
STARTING FRESH:
w With 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 travel to to take on the Hoyas in the second game of their home-away BIG EAST series on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m.