TicketsFeb. 4, 2008
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Cincinnati will try to snap a seven game losing skid when it takes on Marquette in a BIG EAST contest at the Al McGuire Center on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. EST.
Two UC players are averaging double figures, led by redshirt-sophomore Kahla Roudebush's 15.8 points a game. Junior forward Jill Stephens averages a team-high 9.5 rebounds a game and has collected seven double-doubles this year, the most a UC player has grabbed in a season since Debbie Merrill tallied 11 double-doubles during the 2002-03 season.
Cincinnati head coach J. Kelley Hall won his 300th career game as a head coach when the Bearcats defeated Georgetown on Tuesday, Jan. 8. He is now 300-129 overall and is four wins away from the 100 victory mark at the NCAA Division I level. He is 96-73 overall as head coach at an NCAA Division I school.
Jill Stephens is scoring 13.5 points and grabbing 9.5 rebounds a game. If she can finish the season averaging a double-double, she will join only three other players in school history who have averaged a double-double at the end of a season: Donna Ell (10.5 ppg, 16.4 rbg in 1972-73), Linda Norwell, and Bev Obringer (13.0 ppg, 14.5 rbg, 1986-87). Norwell finished her career with a 21.2 ppg and 15.4 rbg average, collecting a double-double after each season she played (1973-1977).
LAST TIME OUT:
Jill Stephens scored a team-high 14 points and Kahla Roudebush added 11 but UC lost to No. 20/20 Notre Dame at Fifth Third Arena in a BIG EAST contest on Saturday.
Roudebush scored four points on a pair of pull-up jumpers during a 9-0 Cincinnati run that gave the Bearcats their biggest lead, 26-17, in the first half. Notre Dame reacted with a 9-0 spurt that closed the half and tied it at 26.
Notre Dame went on a 21-0 run that started late in the first half and continued after halftime. The run put Notre Dame in control at 38-26.
Cincinnati missed its first five shots of the second half and committed eight turnovers while Notre Dame completed its decisive run. Cincinnati didn't score in the first seven minutes of the second half.
The Bearcats were outrebounded 44-31 and gave up 25 points off of turnovers - 18 of which came in the second half.
ABOUT MARQUETTE: Marquette is 12-9 overall and 4-4 in BIG EAST play, earning victories over Providence, Georgetown, USF, and DePaul. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 77-67 loss at St. John's on Saturday, snapping a two-game win streak. The squad is led in scoring by preseason All-BIG EAST Team selection Krystal Ellis, who pours in 19.5 points a game. Senior forward Svetlana Kovalenko averages a team-high 8.1 rebounds a game and freshman guard Angel Robinson has dished out a team-high 68 helpers this season. The Golden Eagles are coached by Terri Mitchell who has a 229-124 record in her 12 seasons at Marquette.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Cincinnati is 7-53 overall against ranked teams. Notre Dame, ranked No. 20/20, was the fourth ranked opponent the Bearcats faced this season (DePaul, No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll on Jan. 26, No. 1/1 Connecticut on Jan. 19 and No. 5/5 Rutgers on Jan. 22). Prior to the loss at UConn, the highest ranked team UC played (since 1990) was No. 3 Georgia on Dec. 13, 1990. The Bearcats lost, 99-38. Cincinnati's last win against a ranked team came on Jan. 14, 2007 when it defeated No. 24/24 DePaul, 62-44 at home. The last road win UC has earned against a ranked team came on Jan. 31, 1999 when the Bearcats defeated No. 18 Tulane, 70-51.
ON TV: Cincinnati has played four games on television so far this season, against Valaparaiso (W, 96-69), at Xavier (W, 61-55), at Louisville (L, 69-37) and at UConn (L, 86-49).
BEARCATS BITS: The 2007-08 Bearcats return nine letterwinners and three starters from last season's squad that finished 15-14 overall and 6-10 in the BIG EAST Conference. Of the letterwinners returning for the Bearcats, junior guard/forward Shelly Bellman, one of UC's top returning players with a 10.4 points per game average last year, is out for the 2007-08 season with a leg injury. Senior forward Emy Ogide made her return to the hardwood against Wright State but missed the first seven games. Junior guard Angel Morgan is working back to full speed after an injury in the game against Michigan.
BIG FIRST IN THE BIG EAST: Junior forward Jill Stephens earned the BIG EAST Player of the Week award for the week ending Dec. 17. Stephens is the first UC player to be named the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Player of the Week since the Bearcats joined the league in 2005-06. Stephens led Cincinnati in scoring and rebounding in home victories over Wright State (73-66) on Dec. 11 and Youngstown State (79-56) on Dec. 15. Stephens played the entire game against Wright State, the fourth time she has been called on to do so this season, and scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She scored a game-high 27 points and notched her fourth double-double of the season with 14 rebounds against Youngstown State. She finished the game with career highs in points (27), field goals (11), field goal attempts (19), 3-point field goals made and attempted (5-of-6) and assists (4).
BIG EAST HONORS: Redshirt-sophomore Kahla Roudebush was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after her performance during the week of January 7th. The sharp-shooter averaged 21 points a game, grabbed an average of 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and connected on 7-for 16 from downtown in the games against Georgetown (W, 69-49) and Pittsburgh (L, 86-61).
BIG EAST HONOR ROLL: Junior forward Jill Stephens was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the week ending Nov. 26, as announced by the league office. Stephens started both the McNeese State and Duquesne games, averaging 14.0 ppg, 17.0 rpg, and shooting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Stephens pulled down 22 rebounds -- 14 of them offensive -- in the McNeese State game, earning third place in the UC record books for total rebounds in a game and tying a Fifth Third Arena record with 14 offensive boards. She recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Duquesne. Freshman guard Tenishia Benson was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the week ending Nov. 18, as announced by the league office. Benson earned her first start against Valparaiso and showed no rookie jitters. She finished the game with a game-high 25 points and was perfect from the free throw line (11-11). Additionally, Benson started the second half against Michigan and finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds. The last UC freshman to lead the team in scoring in her first collegiate start was Shelly Bellman (15 points in 74-39 victory over St. Francis on Nov. 19, 2005).
STREAKIN': Kahla Roudebush connected on 17 consecutive free throws starting against Central Michigan and not missing until the second half of the Georgetown game. She has made 46 of her last 58 (79.3 percent) attempts at the charity stripe (since Xavier game on Dec. 1, 2007).
SUPER STEPHENS: Junior forward Jill Stephens has recorded seven double-doubles this season and currently leads the team with 9.5 rebounds a game. Her 22 rebounds against McNeese State is tied for the seventh best rebounding performance in the country (in games through Feb. 3rd).
BENSON BRINGS IT: Freshman guard Tenishia Benson has made significant contributions for UC, earning her first start against Valparaiso and scoring a game-high 25 points. She snapped Valerie King's streak of 21 free throws made in 2002-03 by landing her first 27 attempts over the first six games of the season. Benson finished the McNeese State game with her first double-double of the year, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and at Dayton she recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She scored 11 points, seven in the last two minutes, in the win at Xavier. Benson scored 15 points against Wright State and had a balanced game against Central Michigan, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. Benson dropped in 10 points against Georgetown, shooting 5-for-6 at the charity stripe. At UConn, Benson scored seven points and handed out three assists and she pulled down five boards against Rutgers.
FROM DOWNTOWN: The Bearcats have landed 151 three pointers this year and average 7.2 treys a game -- third best in the BIG EAST. With seven regular season games left in 2007-08, UC needs to only connect on six triples to finish in the Top 5 in the school record book for three-pointers made in a season (157 is fifth).
EXTREME STAMINA: Jill Stephens played her fourth consecutive and eighth overall 40-minute game at Seton Hall while Kahla Roudebush played her third consecutive 40-minute game at Tennessee Tech and fifth 40-minute game against Georgetown. Carla Jacobs played her second consecutive full game at Tennessee Tech and her fourth full game against Georgetown. Both Tenishia Benson and Natasha Graboski have played 40 minute games for UC as well this season. In the BIG EAST statistics, all five of UC's starters are ranked in the Top 30 in minutes played, with Stephens logging the most minutes a game in the league (37.7) and Roudebush playing the third most (35.1).
HELPING HAND: Cincinnati handed out a season-high 21 assists in the victory over Youngstown State. UC's 21 helpers were the most since the last game of the 2006-07 season against Pittsburgh (March 3, 2007).
WINDOW WIPERS: The Bearcats focus heavily on rebounding and are outrebounding opponents, 826-768. UC grabbed 60 rebounds against McNeese State, the third highest rebounding performance in school history, and followed it up with a 54-rebound game against Presbyterian. The Bearcats have won eight of the 11 games that they have outrebounded their opponents.
FINE AT THE LINE: The Bearcats have connected on 240-of-328 attempts for a .732 percentage at the charity stripe. Freshman Tenishia Benson was an outstanding 11-for-11 from the line in the win over Valparaiso and followed up that performance by going 9-for-9 against Duquesne. The Bearcats did not miss at the line against McNeese State, going 10-for-10 as a team and tying the school record of 100% from the free throw line. The 2003-04 team was perfect from the line twice in 2003, landing 11-for-11 against Indiana State and going 14-for-14 against Loyola Marymount. UC hit 15-of-18 at the line against YSU, shooting 83.3% as a team and made its last six consecutive free throws at Tennessee Tech. Four players connected on 2-of-2 free throws at Seton Hall and the Bearcats matched a season-high 22 made free throws against Georgetown. UC's current percentage of 73.2 from the line would place third in the school record book if the season were to end today.
PF PER GAME: Cincinnati's personal fouls per game average is 13.2. In games through Feb. 3, UC had the fourth best personal fouls per game average in the nation (13.2 pfpg). At Tennessee Tech, UC had a season-high 19 fouls but have only had someone foul out of a game six times this season and have committed only 277 fouls so far as a team. Through the first 21 games last season, UC had 377fouls as a team.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Cincinnati's 73-66 victory over Wright State was the 1000th game played in women's basketball history at UC. The Bearcats are now 538-473 overall in their 37th season of play.
STANDING GROUND: In two consecutive games, redshirt-sophomore guard Kahla Roudebush took four charges, three coming at Tennessee Tech and one at Seton Hall.
LAST TIME AGAINST MARQUETTE (1-27-07): Cincinnati battled to a close first half with No. 17/18 Marquette, but the Golden Eagles won the conference contest, 76-59. Carla Jacobs scored a career-high 17 points for UC.
The Bearcats trailed just 33-26 at the half and the score was nip and tuck as neither team could build more than a three-point lead 15 minutes into the contest. The first half featured nine lead changes and two ties. Both squads shot 38 percent, but the Golden Eagles had more opportunity to score, shooting 12-for-31, while UC converted 8-of-21 from the field. The Bearcats had more turnovers (12) and fouls (9) than they had field goals made in the first stanza.
UC hit the first basket of the game on a Jill Stephens' long-range jumper. The Bearcats and Marquette traded baskets until the Golden Eagles established a five-point lead with 5:11 remaining in the half. Marquette equaled its largest lead of the half on a Krystal Ellis trey, making the score, 27-20, with 2:13 to play. Stephanie Stevens hit her first collegiate 3-point field goal with 1:53 to play and Jacobs drilled a trey at the 1:15 mark to pull the Bearcats within three, 29-26. MU used a 4-0 run to close out the half.
The Bearcats whittled the score down to three, 41-38, when Treasure Humphries sank a fade-away jumper with 12:53 to play. The Golden Eagles used an 11-0 run to pull away, 52-38. MU went up by as much as 19 in the closing minutes of the game.
The Bearcats struggled with 21 turnovers, while MU committed just 11. In addition to her career-high 17 points, Jacobs had four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Angel Morgan added nine points, five rebounds and three assists for UC.
SWATTING GUARD: Sophomore point guard Carla Jacobs is second on the team with nine blocks. Jacobs's nine blocks is more than a UC player tallied during the 2006-07 season. The 5-7 floor general is second behind center Natasha Graboski, who has swatted 15 shots this season -- the most a UC player has blocked in a season since Anne Stephens' 22 during the 2005-06 season.
10 TREYS: Cincinnati has knocked down 10 or more three-pointers in a game six times this season, winning each time they have connected in double-digits from downtown. The Bearcats hit a season-high 13 triples against McNeese State, the most UC has made in a game since the second game of the season last year against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13) on Nov. 14, 2006.
BENCH PRODUCTIVITY: Against Georgetown, Cincinnati had zero points from bench players. UC has had less than five points from bench players four times this year (Xavier, Wright State, Seton Hall and Georgetown), winning three of the four games. At No. 25 DePaul, UC had a whopping 37 points from bench players with Stephanie Stevens scoring a career and game-high 16 points and Kristi Brogan chipping in 10. Only three starters scored against the Blue Demons, combining for a total of 14 points.
PROTECTING THE BALL: After averaging 20.5 turnovers a game in the two exhibition games, UC has done a much better job protecting the ball in regular season play, committing 16.5 turnovers a game. At No. 25 DePaul, UC had its most turnovers in a conference game this season, committing 23 turnovers.
TRIPLE TIME: Kahla Roudebush needs to make four three pointers to put her name in the school record book for 3-pointers made in a career (10th place). She currently has connected on 54 career 3-pointers. Two players have made 58 career treys, ranking 10th in the UC women's basketball records (Shelly Bellman, 2005-present, and Micah Harvey, 2003-06).
CITY STREAK: Cincinnati has landed a basket from downtown in 34 consecutive games. The last time UC finished a game without connecting on a 3-pointer was against No. 24 DePaul on Jan. 14, 2007 at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats launched nine triples that game, but did not hit. They did, however; win the game. UC has made 146 three pointers as a team this season.
STARTING STEVENS: Sophomore guard Stephanie Stevens earned her first career start against Louisville on Jan. 30, 2008 after recording a career-high in points (16) at No. 25 DePaul. She finished the game against Louisville with seven points and four assists.
PLAYMAKER: Sophomore guard Carla Jacobs has recorded an assist in all but one game she has played at UC. Jacobs had an assist in every game last year and pushed her streak of handing out an assist in a game to 32 games before playing only 26 minutes against McNeese State in the fourth game of the 2007-08 season and going without a helper. She has since dished out an assist in every game, starting a new streak that now stands at 17 games.