TicketsFeb. 16, 2007
Game Notes
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UC vs. Date: Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007
Time: 2 p.m. EST
Site: Carnesecca Arena (6,008), Tickets: $7 www.RedStormSports.com
Live Stats: www.RedStormSports.com
TV: None.
Radio: CATSVision (Tommy Gelehrter).
Series: leads, 1-0.
Last Meeting: 88, UC 80 on Jan. 18, 2006 at Fifth Third Arena.
SETTING THE SCENE: The of heads to , to play on Saturday, Feb. 17 in a conference contest crucial to both teams' shot at advancing to the BIG EAST Championship. The 2 p.m. tipoff features the Bearcats, currently 11th in the conference standings with a 4-8 mark, and the Red Storm, one game back with a 3-9 conference record. Only the top 12 teams advance to the tournament in
STORY LINES:
w The game will mark the first time ever that UC has played at Carnesecca Arena.
w With four games to play, the Bearcats are currently in 11th place in the BIG EAST standings. Only the top 12 teams in the conference advance to the BIG EAST Championship. The Bearcats are 1-5 on the road in conference play, while the Red Storm is also 1-5 at home in BIG EAST play.
w SJU is on a four-game losing skid and hasn't won a conference game since Jan. 30, a 78-61 decision over DePaul, its lone win at home this season.
w Both squads feature a young starting lineup anchored by a veteran guard: UC has Treasure Humphries and the Red Storm has Kia Wright.
w Michelle Jones leads UC in starts this season with 23. She is the only Bearcat to start every BIG EAST game this season. Monique McLean and Tiina Sten have started every conference game for the Red Storm and Sten is the lone player to start every game this season.
w The game will feature two of the best offensive rebounders in the conference. UC's Michelle Jones is eighth with 3.13 per game. SJU's Angel Tate averages 2.96 per game, ninth in the BIG EAST.
w It will also feature three of the best assist artists in the conference. SJU's Kia Wright averages 6.1 dimes per game. Carla Jacobs and Treasure Humphries combine for 8.3 a game.
w The Bearcats are third in the BIG EAST and 14th in the country in rebounding margin (+8.2) and hope to use that to their advantage as the Red Storm have a -1.2 rebounding margin.
w Sophomore Shelly Bellman scored a career-high 28 points vs. the Red Storm last year.
NOTES FROM THE GAME:
w The 44 points scored was the second worst offensive output this season for the Bearcats. UC also had a season-low 17 field goals made. The 14 points in the first half was UC's worst start this season.
w UC held Pitt to 55 points, the third time this season UC has held an opponent to that point total. The Bearcats are 2-1 when giving up just 55 points. The other opponents were Princeton (12/2/06) and (1/3/07).
w The Bearcats, who average 8.9 steals a game, had just five vs. Pitt, the second lowest total this season.
w UC outrebounded the Panthers, 30-27, marking the 20th time in 24 games the Bearcats have bested their opponent in that category. The 27 rebounds was a season-low for Pitt.
w For the second time this season the Bearcats did not allow a 3-point field goal. The other time was vs. Seton Hall (1/20/07).
w Emy Ogide was the only UC player to score in double figures with 12 points, just the second time this season the Bearcats only had one player in double figures.
BEARCATS DATA
PLAYERS HONORED:
w Carla Jacobs earned UC's first BIG EAST Weekly honor this season, when she was named Freshman of the Week on Jan. 29. Jacobs, a native of , had a career week as she averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 6-of-6 from the foul line. The guard tied her career high with 15 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists in the team's 80-62 win over Georgetown (1/23/07), nabbing her first career double-double. She bettered her offensive production with a new career-high 17 points in UC's loss to No. 18/17 (1/27/07). Jacobs shot 6-of-15 from the field, including a 3-of-6 effort from 3-point range.
SMARTY CATS:
w Nine of UC's players earned academic honors for the fall quarter. Jill Stephens was named the department of athletics top female scholar-athlete of the fall quarter after earning a 4.0 grade point average, plus was named to the Topcat Honor Roll. Shelly Bellman and Karen Twehues were also Topcats (3.5-4.0 GPA). Kristi Brogan, Treasure Humphries, Carla Jacobs, Michelle Jones, Emy Ogide and Stephanie Stevens were all named to the Bearcat Honor Roll (3.00-3.49 GPA).
TOP CATS:
w Treasure Humphries is UC's leading scorer (12.2), Shelly Bellman is the Bearcats' leading rebounder (6.2) and Carla Jacobs is the assists leader (4.30). Both Bellman and Humphries have been named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll this season and Jacobs was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
SCORING DROUGHT ENDED
w After scoring in the first 48 games of her college career, Shelly Bellman was held scoreless vs. No. 17/18 (1/27/07) and No. 5/6 UConn (1/30/07). Bellman broke the slump with five points vs. No. 25/23 Rutgers (2/3/07) and got back into double figure scoring with 11 vs. (2/6/07).
MOST IMPROVED:
w Junior Emy Ogide is averaging 6.3 points a game this season, almost tripling her career average coming into the season of 2.2 points. Ogide led UC in scoring in back-to-back games. She put up 14 points vs. No. 25/23 (2/3/07) and the game before, scored a team-high 12 points, on 5-of-6 six shooting from the field vs. No. 5/6 UConn (1/30/07). 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.
BEARCATS ATTACK THE BOARDS:
w The Bearcats have won the battle of the boards in 20 of their 24 games this season. Only and Top 25-ranked teams Rutgers (2/3/07), (12/14/06) and (12/28/06) have beaten UC in that category. owns a +8.2 rebounding margin this season, third in the BIG EAST and 14th in the country. The UC single-season record is a +6.7 margin.
BOARD BUDDIES:
w The sophomore trio of Shelly Bellman, Michelle Jones and Angel Morgan are wrecking balls on the boards for UC. Jones is an expert on offensive rebounding, while Bellman and Morgan make their marks on the defensive end. Bellman leads the team with 6.2, Jones adds 5.8 and Morgan is third with 5.5. Jones has 293 career rebounds and more than half have been offensive (152). Of her 140 rebounds this season, 75 have been offensive. She averages 3.13 per game, eighth in the BIG EAST. Bellman has 323 career rebounds and 243 have been defensive. She has 104 defensive rebounds of her 143 total this season. Morgan has 131 rebounds this season and 102 have been defensive. She has 182 in her career, with 131 of those being defensive.
"A" FOR ACCURACY:
w Sophomore Michelle Jones is shooting a team-high 51 percent from the field, 11th in the BIG EAST. She has converted 109 of 213 attempts. After her 11-point performance vs. No. 5/6 UConn (1/30/07) she moved to second on the team in scoring. She had career highs of 10 field goals made (10-of-13) and 24 points against Tennessee Tech (12/21/06). She was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Emy Ogide is not far behind Jones. The junior is shooting 50 percent (63 of 125) and is coming off a five-of-five performance vs. Pitt (2/13/07).
SPREADING THE WEALTH:
w is seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring, but the Bearcats don't have a player who averages more than 15.0 points. Three players average double figures: Treasure Humphries (12.2), Michelle Jones (11.4) and Shelly Bellman (10.9).
HOLD EM':
w UC has held 12 of its 24 opponents to 65 points or less and held No. 24 DePaul (1/14/07) to 44 points, a season low. When the Bearcats are held to 60 points or less they are 0-5.
3-POINT THREAT:
w Senior Karen Twehues is third all-time at UC in career 3-point field goals made with178. She leads the Bearcats in 3-point field goal percentage at 36 percent, sixth in the BIG EAST.
STEALS AND DEALS:
w Senior Treasure Humphries and freshman Carla Jacobs are the masters of creating shots for their teammates, helping UC to 16.25 assists a game, fourth in the BIG EAST. The duo are also creating havoc on the defensive end, going one-two in steals.
w Humphries, who led the team in steals both her freshman and junior seasons, is pacing the team in thefts with 53 and is fourth in the BIG EAST with 2.21 a game. She has had multiple steals in 19 of 23 games this season. She tied a career-high with seven take aways vs. No. 23 Arkansas (12/28/06). Jacobs is second on the team in steals with 40. She has had at least one steal in 19 of 23 games this season.
w Jacobs is UC's assist leader with 99 in 23 games, a 4.30 average that ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. She had a career-high 10 assists against (1/23/07). She knows how to take care of the ball too. She is second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.02) and the top freshman in that category. Treasure Humphries is second on the team in assists (95). She has had three or more assists in 19 of the Bearcats' 24 games. She is ninth in the BIG EAST with 3.96 per game.
DOUBLING DOWN:
w Carla Jacobs got UC's 12th double-double of the 2006-07 season with a career performance against (1/23/07). She had15 points and set a new career high with 10 assists.
w Karen Twehues and Michelle Jones both registered double-doubles 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 six career double-doubles, including five this season, most recently vs. Seton Hall (1/20/07) when she had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Against Notre Dame (1/10/07) 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.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING:
w Michelle Jones has scored in double figures in a team-high 17 games this season and 34 in her career. Shelly Bellman has scored in double figures in all but eight games she has played this season and in 30 of 51 career contests.
w The Bearcats have had at least three players score in double figures in every game except for four this season (only two vs. USF on 1/6/07 and vs. Marquette on 1/27/07 and only one vs. on 2/3/07 and Pitt on 2/13/07). The Bearcats have had five players score in double figures in five 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, UC's BIG EAST home opening win over Georgetown, 77-55 (1/3/07), and the Bearcats' 74-61 win over Providence (2/6/07).
GETTING FLOOR TIME:
w Freshman Carla Jacobs leads UC in minutes played at 29.5 per game. Jacobs played a career-high 39 minutes vs. (2/6/07). Angel Morgan is third on the team in average minutes played with 28.8. Morgan 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 .
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. The Bearcats bested the old mark of 12 set vs. on March 5, 2004. The Bearcats extended their home-opener winning streak to 11 with an 89-65 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/14/06).
NORTHWESTERN TOURNEY HONORS:
w Shelly Bellman averaged 19.5 points and 5.5 rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational (12/1-2/06), hosted by Northwestern.
DAGOSTINO DEPARTS UC STAFF:
w First-year assistant coach Dave Dagostino has left the UC coaching staff, citing personal reasons. The resignation was effective on January 26. Prior to joining the UC staff last spring, Dagostino had been the head coach at , where he also resigned from his post following a six-year tenure at the school, including three as the Gamecock's head coach.
STARTING FRESH:
w The Bearcats had their earliest season opener in school history, playing at on Nov. 10. 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 are back at home on Tuesday, Feb. 20 to host Villanova after a two-game road stretch. UC and the Wildcats will face off at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.