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Complete 2015-16 Schedule | 2015-16 Schedule (PDF)
CINCINNATI - In conjunction with the American Athletic Conference, University of Cincinnati women's basketball head coach Jamelle Elliott released the program's 2015-16 schedule Wednesday afternoon, complete with 15 home contests and a formidable non-conference slate featuring matchups against seven teams that won at least 16 games a season ago.
Totaling 29 games, the Bearcats' 2015-16 regular-season campaign kicks off with a trio of out-of-conference tilts inside Fifth Third Arena. It begins first with a visit from St. Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 14) and follows with meetings against Northern Kentucky (Nov. 18) and Bowling Green (Nov. 21).
"We look forward to opening up our season with three-consecutive home games," said Elliott. "It is a great opportunity to get our season started with positive momentum inside Fifth Third Arena."
Non-league play will then progress with the team's participation in the 2015 Junkanoo Jam on the island of the Bahamas, Nov. 26-27. The Bearcats are first pitted against the Big 12's Baylor Bears who reached the Elite Eight last season and finished the year with a No. 5 national ranking, followed by the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten.
"Playing against these teams will really give our team a valuable experience competing against two of the top women's basketball programs in the country."
Matchups against in-state foes Ohio State - which earned a five seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament and a 26 RPI ranking last season -- (Dec. 6) at home and Xavier (Dec. 13) on the road will then occur before the Bearcats close non-conference action with a trip to Athens, Georgia, to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 23.
"Following the trip to the Bahamas, we host Ohio State to begin a home-and-home series, and look forward to the always competitive matchup against crosstown rival Xavier inside the Cintas Center."
American Athletic Conference play commences with a visit from defending conference and national champion UConn (Dec. 30) in a game that will be broadcasted live on ESPN3. League competition continues with eight games during the month of January and nine in February including four home contests in the final three weeks of the regular season against Temple (Feb. 9), USF (Feb. 12), East Carolina (Feb. 24), and Tulsa (Feb. 27). The Bearcats will then battle league mates in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship, March 4 -7.
The 2016 American Championship will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Home to the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, the 10,000-seat, state-of-the-art Mohegan Sun Arena opened in November of 2002, and is now internationally recognized as a premier facility.
"We are looking forward to this season and the growth and learning opportunities that we will have with every team on our schedule for this upcoming season."
UC returns five letterwinners from a year ago including guards Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and Jasmine Whitfield (Crestwood, Ky./South Oldham) who averaged 11.7 and 9.9 points per game, respectively.
Additionally, the Bearcats will feature graduate transfer and local product Shaqeia Stokes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) at the forward position. The former Winton Woods High School standout will be immediately eligible to compete in 2015-16 after spending four years at St. Francis (Pa.) where she averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a season ago. UC also welcomes the addition of freshmen guards Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) and Maya Benham (Douglasville, Ga./Osborne) to help bolster the backcourt, and forward Chelsea Warren (Red Oak, Texas/Red Oak) to aid in fortifying the front line.
The Bearcats' 2015-16 campaign will also be a component of this year's Experience UC initiative which offers complimentary admission to women's basketball games. The initiative is geared toward inviting the community to campus to see firsthand the great things about and surrounding the University.