TicketsGREENVILLE, N.C. – University of Cincinnati women's basketball will begin American Athletic Conference play Saturday at ECU. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Minges Coliseum.
// THE GAME
After closing non-league competition with a 75-51 home victory over Bowling Green on Dec. 21, the Bearcats will square off with the ECU Pirates to commence conference action. Fans can watch the game free of charge on ECUPirates.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on BearcatsTV. Live stats can be accessed here.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two teams with ECU holding a 6-1 series advantage. UC's only win came on Jan. 21, 2017 in Cincinnati when Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) totaled team bests of 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Red & Black defeated the Pirates, 74-64. In the last meeting, the Bearcats were edged, 80-69, on Feb. 22, 2017 in Greenville. Johnson posted team highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (8-5) finished strong, outscoring the visiting Bowling Green Falcons 27-8 in the fourth quarter to coast to a 75-51 victory on Dec. 21 at Saint Ursula Academy's Gymnasium & Convocation Center.
With a holiday break looming for both teams, competition was tightly contested in the first half with the Red & Black edging BGSU 16-12 in the opening quarter. Competitive play continued in the second with UC taking a 31-26 advantage into the halftime break. The two squads were neck and neck in the third period, playing to a 17-17 tie. Holding a 48-43 lead heading into the final quarter, the Bearcats started fast and never looked back The Red & Black buried three 3-pointers in the opening two minutes of the period which sparked a 15-3 run over six minutes to take control of the game, 66-46, with 3:11 remaining. UC stayed solid down the stretch, resulting in a 75-51 victory.
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) continued her hot shooting with a game-high 24 points including six trifectas. Sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) put together a solid stat line with 11 points, a career high and team-high-tying seven rebounds, as well as a career-best-tying three triples.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC with 13.4 points per game. Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) follows with 11.8 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds a contest, while Johnson posts 10.8 points per.
After becoming the 26th member of UC women's basketball's 1,000-point club last season during a 74-64 home win over ECU on Jan. 21, 2017 , Owens continues her climb up the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Her 1,247 total career points puts her in 12th place. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in scoring defense at 59.2 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league in field goal percentage per game at 44.6 percent. The Red & Black are also third in the AAC in assists with 15.9 per.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in The American in field-goal percentage per game at 60.4-percent, while Rodgers' 55-percent 3-point field-goal goal percentage a game is also second best. Johnson's 2.8 steals per contest ranks third in the league, while Goings' 2.6 3-point makes a game is fourth in the AAC.
// SCOUTING THE PIRATES
ECU (8-5) finished non-conference play Thursday with a 64-54 home win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Eighth-year head coach Heather Macy has now tied Sharon Baldwin-Tener (2002-2010) as the program's all-time leader in wins with 126 at ECU. Junior Destiny Campbell led the Pirates offense with 14 points. Senior Thais Oliveira recorded her second double-double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Ariyana Williams notched her 10th-consecutive game scoring in double-digits as the freshman finished with 13 points.
For the season, Williams and Oliveria is leading the Pirates offensive attack with 12.1 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Oliveria also grabs a team-best 7.9 rebounds a contest. ECU is second in the conference with 4.5 blocked shots per game and is also second in the league in steals at 11.5 per. The Pirates are also runner-up in The American in turnover margin at +3.85 and in offensive rebounds with 16.7 a contest.
In the preseason, ECU was picked to finish last in the 12-team AAC.
// THE GAME
After closing non-league competition with a 75-51 home victory over Bowling Green on Dec. 21, the Bearcats will square off with the ECU Pirates to commence conference action. Fans can watch the game free of charge on ECUPirates.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on BearcatsTV. Live stats can be accessed here.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two teams with ECU holding a 6-1 series advantage. UC's only win came on Jan. 21, 2017 in Cincinnati when Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) totaled team bests of 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Red & Black defeated the Pirates, 74-64. In the last meeting, the Bearcats were edged, 80-69, on Feb. 22, 2017 in Greenville. Johnson posted team highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (8-5) finished strong, outscoring the visiting Bowling Green Falcons 27-8 in the fourth quarter to coast to a 75-51 victory on Dec. 21 at Saint Ursula Academy's Gymnasium & Convocation Center.
With a holiday break looming for both teams, competition was tightly contested in the first half with the Red & Black edging BGSU 16-12 in the opening quarter. Competitive play continued in the second with UC taking a 31-26 advantage into the halftime break. The two squads were neck and neck in the third period, playing to a 17-17 tie. Holding a 48-43 lead heading into the final quarter, the Bearcats started fast and never looked back The Red & Black buried three 3-pointers in the opening two minutes of the period which sparked a 15-3 run over six minutes to take control of the game, 66-46, with 3:11 remaining. UC stayed solid down the stretch, resulting in a 75-51 victory.
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) continued her hot shooting with a game-high 24 points including six trifectas. Sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) put together a solid stat line with 11 points, a career high and team-high-tying seven rebounds, as well as a career-best-tying three triples.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC with 13.4 points per game. Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) follows with 11.8 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds a contest, while Johnson posts 10.8 points per.
After becoming the 26th member of UC women's basketball's 1,000-point club last season during a 74-64 home win over ECU on Jan. 21, 2017 , Owens continues her climb up the Bearcats' all-time scoring list. Her 1,247 total career points puts her in 12th place. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in scoring defense at 59.2 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league in field goal percentage per game at 44.6 percent. The Red & Black are also third in the AAC in assists with 15.9 per.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in The American in field-goal percentage per game at 60.4-percent, while Rodgers' 55-percent 3-point field-goal goal percentage a game is also second best. Johnson's 2.8 steals per contest ranks third in the league, while Goings' 2.6 3-point makes a game is fourth in the AAC.
// SCOUTING THE PIRATES
ECU (8-5) finished non-conference play Thursday with a 64-54 home win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Eighth-year head coach Heather Macy has now tied Sharon Baldwin-Tener (2002-2010) as the program's all-time leader in wins with 126 at ECU. Junior Destiny Campbell led the Pirates offense with 14 points. Senior Thais Oliveira recorded her second double-double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Ariyana Williams notched her 10th-consecutive game scoring in double-digits as the freshman finished with 13 points.
For the season, Williams and Oliveria is leading the Pirates offensive attack with 12.1 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Oliveria also grabs a team-best 7.9 rebounds a contest. ECU is second in the conference with 4.5 blocked shots per game and is also second in the league in steals at 11.5 per. The Pirates are also runner-up in The American in turnover margin at +3.85 and in offensive rebounds with 16.7 a contest.
In the preseason, ECU was picked to finish last in the 12-team AAC.