TicketsCINCINNATI – Following a week off from competition during exam week, University of Cincinnati women's basketball will make the short trip to Norwood, Ohio on Sunday to face the Xavier Musketeers at 5 p.m. at the Cintas Center in the 2017 edition of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
// THE GAME
A video stream will air live and free of charge on GoXavier.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on GoBearcats.com. Live stats can be accessed here. Click here to purchase tickets. The two teams are playing for the Kendle Cup – the traveling trophy in the rivalry.
// THE SERIES
UC leads the all-time series versus XU, 23-16, and is 10-8 in games played at Xavier. The Bearcats have come up short in the last three matchups with the Musketeers including a 72-61 setback last season inside Fifth Third Arena. In the last meeting inside the Cintas Center in 2015, the Red & Black fell 65-56.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (6-3) dealt Old Dominion a 54-33 defeat on Sunday afternoon inside the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
In their first game on the road in nearly a month, the Bearcats surrendered an early 3-pointer to the Monarchs, but responded with a 16-0 run to end the opening quarter. UC continued the streak into the second quarter, scoring the first eight points of the period to lead 24-3 with 6:30 to go before halftime. ODU finally found the bottom of the net and cut its deficit to 11 with 1:13 remaining in the half. The Bearcats responded with a 5-0 run to end the quarter to take a 31-15 advantage into the halftime break.
UC increased its lead to as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but saw the Monarchs reduce their deficit to just 14 heading into the final period. The Bearcats held a 12-point, 43-31, lead with seven minutes remaining and proceeded to go on a 19-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to put the game out of reach.
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) led all scorers with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) posted 15 points, a season-high seven rebounds, and three assists. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) neared her second-consecutive double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is leading UC with 11.8 points per game. Thomas is joined by three additional double-figure scorers: Johnson (11.7), Goings (11.4), and Owens (11.3). Johnson is averaging team bests of 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 steals a contest, while Owens is dishing out 4.2 assists per.
Johnson was picked for the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. She garnered the accolade after averaging 14.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 3.0 assists per game last week as the Bearcats went 2-1. The Philly native stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, and six steals in a 77-73 loss to St. Francis on Nov. 27. The forward followed with 19 points and 10 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the season and the 14th of her career in a 65-52 win over Southeast Missouri on Nov. 30. The senior capped the week by nearing her second-consecutive double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds in a 54-33 win at Old Dominion on Dec. 3.
The win at ODU marked head coach Jamelle Elliott's 100th career win at UC. Now in her ninth year in Clifton, Elliott has posted two 16-win campaigns in her Bearcats career, including last season. She is the second all-time winningest coach in program history, behind only Laurie Pirtle who totaled 310 wins in 21 years at the helm.
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. Her 15 points at Old Dominion on Sunday brought her career total to 1,220 points, surpassing Joy Roberts (1979-82) for 13th place. 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 55th nationally in total assists with 136 on the year. The Bearcats are also runner-up in the league and 39th in the country in field goal percentage per game at 45.2 percent. The Red & Black is also second in The American and 74th-best nationally in free throws made at 117 in 2017.
Individually on the year, Johnson's 32 total steals is second best in the AAC and eighth in the country. Thomas' 62.9-percent field goal percentage is tops in the league. Owens ranks fourth in The American with 4.2 assists per game, while Goings' 2.1 made 3-pointers a contest is eighth-best in the conference.
// SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
XU (4-3) dropped a 63-53 road contest at Bowling Green on Wednesday afternoon. A'riana Gray and Princess Stewart led the Musketeers' offense with 10 points each. The Musketeers were held to a season-low 53 points. The Falcons knocked down a season-high 13 three pointers (13-for-24).
For the season, Imani Partlow is pacing XU with 12.3 points per game. Jada Byrd follows with 12.2 points a contest. Partlow also leads the Musketeers with 8.3 rebounds per. Byrd and Na'Teshia Owens each notch team bests of 2.6 assists a game. Xavier averages 41.5% shooting from the field per game and knocks down 7.4 3-point field goals a contest. XU also posts 7.9 steals per game and grabs 35.4 rebounds a contest.
The Musketeers are led by head coach Brian Neal who is in his fifth season at the helm. At XU, he has compiled a 59-72 record and is 230-103 in his career after spending seven years prior as head coach at Thomas More.
In the preseason, the Musketeers were picked to finish last in the 10-team BIG EAST.
// THE GAME
A video stream will air live and free of charge on GoXavier.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on GoBearcats.com. Live stats can be accessed here. Click here to purchase tickets. The two teams are playing for the Kendle Cup – the traveling trophy in the rivalry.
// THE SERIES
UC leads the all-time series versus XU, 23-16, and is 10-8 in games played at Xavier. The Bearcats have come up short in the last three matchups with the Musketeers including a 72-61 setback last season inside Fifth Third Arena. In the last meeting inside the Cintas Center in 2015, the Red & Black fell 65-56.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (6-3) dealt Old Dominion a 54-33 defeat on Sunday afternoon inside the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
In their first game on the road in nearly a month, the Bearcats surrendered an early 3-pointer to the Monarchs, but responded with a 16-0 run to end the opening quarter. UC continued the streak into the second quarter, scoring the first eight points of the period to lead 24-3 with 6:30 to go before halftime. ODU finally found the bottom of the net and cut its deficit to 11 with 1:13 remaining in the half. The Bearcats responded with a 5-0 run to end the quarter to take a 31-15 advantage into the halftime break.
UC increased its lead to as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but saw the Monarchs reduce their deficit to just 14 heading into the final period. The Bearcats held a 12-point, 43-31, lead with seven minutes remaining and proceeded to go on a 19-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to put the game out of reach.
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) led all scorers with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) posted 15 points, a season-high seven rebounds, and three assists. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) neared her second-consecutive double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Freshman forward Iimar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is leading UC with 11.8 points per game. Thomas is joined by three additional double-figure scorers: Johnson (11.7), Goings (11.4), and Owens (11.3). Johnson is averaging team bests of 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 steals a contest, while Owens is dishing out 4.2 assists per.
Johnson was picked for the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. She garnered the accolade after averaging 14.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 3.0 assists per game last week as the Bearcats went 2-1. The Philly native stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, and six steals in a 77-73 loss to St. Francis on Nov. 27. The forward followed with 19 points and 10 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the season and the 14th of her career in a 65-52 win over Southeast Missouri on Nov. 30. The senior capped the week by nearing her second-consecutive double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds in a 54-33 win at Old Dominion on Dec. 3.
The win at ODU marked head coach Jamelle Elliott's 100th career win at UC. Now in her ninth year in Clifton, Elliott has posted two 16-win campaigns in her Bearcats career, including last season. She is the second all-time winningest coach in program history, behind only Laurie Pirtle who totaled 310 wins in 21 years at the helm.
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. Her 15 points at Old Dominion on Sunday brought her career total to 1,220 points, surpassing Joy Roberts (1979-82) for 13th place. 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 55th nationally in total assists with 136 on the year. The Bearcats are also runner-up in the league and 39th in the country in field goal percentage per game at 45.2 percent. The Red & Black is also second in The American and 74th-best nationally in free throws made at 117 in 2017.
Individually on the year, Johnson's 32 total steals is second best in the AAC and eighth in the country. Thomas' 62.9-percent field goal percentage is tops in the league. Owens ranks fourth in The American with 4.2 assists per game, while Goings' 2.1 made 3-pointers a contest is eighth-best in the conference.
// SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
XU (4-3) dropped a 63-53 road contest at Bowling Green on Wednesday afternoon. A'riana Gray and Princess Stewart led the Musketeers' offense with 10 points each. The Musketeers were held to a season-low 53 points. The Falcons knocked down a season-high 13 three pointers (13-for-24).
For the season, Imani Partlow is pacing XU with 12.3 points per game. Jada Byrd follows with 12.2 points a contest. Partlow also leads the Musketeers with 8.3 rebounds per. Byrd and Na'Teshia Owens each notch team bests of 2.6 assists a game. Xavier averages 41.5% shooting from the field per game and knocks down 7.4 3-point field goals a contest. XU also posts 7.9 steals per game and grabs 35.4 rebounds a contest.
The Musketeers are led by head coach Brian Neal who is in his fifth season at the helm. At XU, he has compiled a 59-72 record and is 230-103 in his career after spending seven years prior as head coach at Thomas More.
In the preseason, the Musketeers were picked to finish last in the 10-team BIG EAST.