TicketsCINCINNATI – After a pair of games on the road, University of Cincinnati women's basketball will return home Thursday when it welcomes Howard to Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Admission to the game will be free of charge as part of the Experience UC initiative.
// EXPERIENCE UC
The Bearcats' 2017-18 campaign will, again, be part of the Experience UC initiative which offers free admission to home games. Groups interested in attending can contact Assistant Director of Marketing & Branding Deborah Dixon at dixond9@ucmail.uc.edu for more information.
// TEMPORARY HOME(S)
Due to the current, $87-million renovation of Fifth Third Arena, the Bearcats will play all home contests off campus this year. In the regular season, UC will play two games at Cincinnati State – the Nov. 13 home opener against Slippery Rock and the Nov. 27 meeting with St. Francis (Pa.) – with the remaining games played at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center (SUA).
// STUDENT SHUTTLE
UC students are invited to enjoy a free bus ride to the game as well as free pizza. The bus will depart from the Bearcat statue on campus at 6 p.m. Free student shuttles to home UC women's basketball games will continue throughout the season.
// GAME PROMOTIONS
Thursday's game will be a rUCkus Rewards Redemption Night for students participating in the rUCkus Rewards program.
// GOING LIVE
Aside from the Dec. 17 game against Ohio State on ESPN2 and the Feb. 17 game versus Tulsa on the American Digital Network, all home games in 2017-18 will be streamed live on BearcatsTV free of charge. The link to the live video stream can be found on the women's basketball schedule page. On the same page, links to live statistics can also be found.
// THE SERIES
Thursday's matchup will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams with the series knotted 1-1. In the first matchup in 24 years last season, UC edged Howard, 66-56, on Nov. 26, 2016 inside Fifth Third Arena. During the win, forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) added 18 points and five assists. The Bison won the only previous meeting, a 72-70 decision on Dec. 29, 1994 on a neutral floor at the Brigham Young Holiday Classic.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (6-4) staged a fourth-quarter comeback that came up just short in a 53-50 loss to Xavier in the 40th Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, Sunday at the Cintas Center.
The Bearcats (6-4) had a 7-0 run over 90 seconds which pulled them to within 51-50 with 1:17 remaining. Xavier's Princess Stewart hit a running layup with 14 seconds left to put the Musketeers up 53-50 and Owens' game-tying attempt with 2.4 seconds left came up short, snapping UC's two-game winning streak.
UC's late run was keyed by a three-pointer and layup by Owens and a give-and-go layup from sophomore guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) to sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake).
Rizor's 15 points and career-best 12 rebounds led all players, her first-career double-double.
Owens and junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) both finished with nine points, with Goings adding seven rebounds. Johnson had eight boards while Miller had seven points, three assists, and a pair of rebounds.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC in scoring with 11.2 points per game. Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is not far behind with 11.1 points a contest, while Owens also averages 11.1 points per as well as a team-best 3.8 assists. Johnson is posting 10.8 points per and a Bearcats-high 6.8 rebounds a contest.
After becoming the 26th member of UC women's basketball's 1,000-point club last season, Owens continues her climb up the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Owens' current 1,229 career points places her 13th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end.
As a team, UC is second in the conference and 50th in the country in scoring defense at 57.8 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league and 68th nationally in field goal percentage per game at 43.8 percent. Furthermore, the Red & Black's 32.4 rebounding defense is tops in the AAC.
Individually on the year, Johnson's 33 total steals is 13th in the country and second in The American, while Thomas' 59.4-percent field goal percentage is second in the league. Owens ranks sixth in the conference with 3.8 assists per game, while Goings' 1.9 made 3-pointers a contest is eighth-best in the league.
// SCOUTING THE BISON
Howard (3-5) is riding a three-game winning streak including, most recently, a 72-69 home victory over St. Francis-Brooklyn on Saturday in Washington D.C. In the victory, four Bison reached double-figures, led by sophomore Ayonna Williams. The D.C. native had a game-high 19 points, five boards, and two dimes in the win.
For the season, Sarah Edmond is pacing the team with 12.5 points per contest. Tariah Johnson chips in 8.5 points and a Bison-best 5.1 rebounds a game. HU is averaging 62.0 points per game, but is giving up 80.4 a contest. The Bison shoot it from the field at a 35.7-percent clip and make 3.8 3-pointers per. Howard grabs 38.9 rebounds each game and turns the ball over at a 22.8 per-game rate.
In the preseason, HU was picked to finish fifth in the 13-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Edmond and Jayla Miles were both MEAC All-Rookie selections following their freshman campaigns last season.
// EXPERIENCE UC
The Bearcats' 2017-18 campaign will, again, be part of the Experience UC initiative which offers free admission to home games. Groups interested in attending can contact Assistant Director of Marketing & Branding Deborah Dixon at dixond9@ucmail.uc.edu for more information.
// TEMPORARY HOME(S)
Due to the current, $87-million renovation of Fifth Third Arena, the Bearcats will play all home contests off campus this year. In the regular season, UC will play two games at Cincinnati State – the Nov. 13 home opener against Slippery Rock and the Nov. 27 meeting with St. Francis (Pa.) – with the remaining games played at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center (SUA).
// STUDENT SHUTTLE
UC students are invited to enjoy a free bus ride to the game as well as free pizza. The bus will depart from the Bearcat statue on campus at 6 p.m. Free student shuttles to home UC women's basketball games will continue throughout the season.
// GAME PROMOTIONS
Thursday's game will be a rUCkus Rewards Redemption Night for students participating in the rUCkus Rewards program.
// GOING LIVE
Aside from the Dec. 17 game against Ohio State on ESPN2 and the Feb. 17 game versus Tulsa on the American Digital Network, all home games in 2017-18 will be streamed live on BearcatsTV free of charge. The link to the live video stream can be found on the women's basketball schedule page. On the same page, links to live statistics can also be found.
// THE SERIES
Thursday's matchup will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams with the series knotted 1-1. In the first matchup in 24 years last season, UC edged Howard, 66-56, on Nov. 26, 2016 inside Fifth Third Arena. During the win, forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) added 18 points and five assists. The Bison won the only previous meeting, a 72-70 decision on Dec. 29, 1994 on a neutral floor at the Brigham Young Holiday Classic.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (6-4) staged a fourth-quarter comeback that came up just short in a 53-50 loss to Xavier in the 40th Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, Sunday at the Cintas Center.
The Bearcats (6-4) had a 7-0 run over 90 seconds which pulled them to within 51-50 with 1:17 remaining. Xavier's Princess Stewart hit a running layup with 14 seconds left to put the Musketeers up 53-50 and Owens' game-tying attempt with 2.4 seconds left came up short, snapping UC's two-game winning streak.
UC's late run was keyed by a three-pointer and layup by Owens and a give-and-go layup from sophomore guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) to sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake).
Rizor's 15 points and career-best 12 rebounds led all players, her first-career double-double.
Owens and junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) both finished with nine points, with Goings adding seven rebounds. Johnson had eight boards while Miller had seven points, three assists, and a pair of rebounds.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC in scoring with 11.2 points per game. Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is not far behind with 11.1 points a contest, while Owens also averages 11.1 points per as well as a team-best 3.8 assists. Johnson is posting 10.8 points per and a Bearcats-high 6.8 rebounds a contest.
After becoming the 26th member of UC women's basketball's 1,000-point club last season, Owens continues her climb up the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Owens' current 1,229 career points places her 13th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end.
As a team, UC is second in the conference and 50th in the country in scoring defense at 57.8 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league and 68th nationally in field goal percentage per game at 43.8 percent. Furthermore, the Red & Black's 32.4 rebounding defense is tops in the AAC.
Individually on the year, Johnson's 33 total steals is 13th in the country and second in The American, while Thomas' 59.4-percent field goal percentage is second in the league. Owens ranks sixth in the conference with 3.8 assists per game, while Goings' 1.9 made 3-pointers a contest is eighth-best in the league.
// SCOUTING THE BISON
Howard (3-5) is riding a three-game winning streak including, most recently, a 72-69 home victory over St. Francis-Brooklyn on Saturday in Washington D.C. In the victory, four Bison reached double-figures, led by sophomore Ayonna Williams. The D.C. native had a game-high 19 points, five boards, and two dimes in the win.
For the season, Sarah Edmond is pacing the team with 12.5 points per contest. Tariah Johnson chips in 8.5 points and a Bison-best 5.1 rebounds a game. HU is averaging 62.0 points per game, but is giving up 80.4 a contest. The Bison shoot it from the field at a 35.7-percent clip and make 3.8 3-pointers per. Howard grabs 38.9 rebounds each game and turns the ball over at a 22.8 per-game rate.
In the preseason, HU was picked to finish fifth in the 13-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Edmond and Jayla Miles were both MEAC All-Rookie selections following their freshman campaigns last season.