Bearcats Open Maggie Dixon Surf N Slam Classic Against Texas

Dec. 28, 2010

Game Notes | Listen Live |

THE GAME
The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will travel to San Diego, Calif., for the Maggie Dixon Surf N Slam Classic, hosted by the University of San Diego. UC will take on Texas at 11 p.m. ET on Dec. 28 and will then play either Hofstra or host San Diego on Dec. 30.

THE SERIES
This will mark the first meeting between Cincinnati and Texas. UC is 3-4 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats are 1-0 against Baylor, 0-1 vs. Missouri, 2-1 vs. Nebraska, 0-1 vs. Oklahoma State, and 0-1 vs. Texas A&M.

THE COACH
Jamelle Elliott enters her second season as a head coach, taking over the Cincinnati program after 12 years as an assistant coach at Connecticut, her alma mater. She was a six-time national champion with the Huskies, including helping UConn to its first championship as a student-athlete in 1995. One of the most accomplished players in the distinguished history of the Connecticut program, Elliott finished her career ranked No. 2 among UConn's all-time rebounding leaders (1,054), No. 5 in BIG EAST career rebounding (558), and No. 11 in UConn career scoring (1,387).

• The Bearcats snapped a four-game losing streak with a 57-47 win against Marshall on Dec. 21.
• Cincinnati started the season 5-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season before falling at Dayton on Dec. 2.
• The Bearcats start two freshmen, a first-year Division I transfer, a sixth-year senior, and a second-year junior college transfer.
• UC junior guard Bjonee Reaves is a California native. Reaves hails from San Bernardino, about two hours north of San Diego.
• Head coach Jamelle Elliott, the only BIG EAST head women's basketball coach to also play in the league, enters her second season on the Bearcats bench.
• Elliott spent 12 seasons as an assistant at Connecticut following a four-year playing career for the Huskies, where she won a combined six national championships as a player and coach.
• Senior guard Shareese Ulis is UC's leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game. She has scored in double figures in all but two games this season (scoring nine each time).
• Former BIG EAST all-Rookie Team member Shelly Bellman, who missed the 2009-10 season due to injury, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.
• UC welcomes six newcomers, inlcuding ESPN Top 100 recruit Kayla Cook and Michigan transfer Dayeesha Hollins. Hollins will sit out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer guidelines.
• Vanderbilt transfer Chanel Chisholm is eligible this season after she sat out the 2009-10 season due to transfer guidelines.