TicketsTULSA, Okla. – American Athletic Conference play will continue for University of Cincinnati women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 6 when they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 3 p.m. EST inside the Reynolds Center.
// GOING LIVE
Fans can watch the game free of charge on TulsaHurricane.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on BearcatsTV. Live stats can be accessed here.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two teams with Tulsa holding a 4-1 series advantage. UC's only win came in its last visit to Tulsa on Jan. 23, 2016 when Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as the Red & Black edged the Hurricane, 55-53. In the last meeting, the Bearcats were defeated, 78-61, on Feb. 27, 2017 in the regular season finale in Cincinnati. Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) Johnson posted 17 points in the loss.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (9-6, 1-1 AAC) dropped a 69-46 decision to the 22nd-ranked USF Bulls on Wednesday night at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center in its first home American Athletic Conference game of the season.
The Bearcats scored the opening four point of the game, but then saw the Bulls go on a 10-0 run. After being edged 14-9 in the first quarter, the Red & Black fell behind by as many as 15 points late in the second quarter and faced a 29-18 deficit at halftime. UC battled back in the third quarter, whittling its deficit down to just seven points, 34-27, with 6:26 left in the period. USF responded with a 14-7 run to end the third to assume control of the game. The Bearcats were then outscored 21-12 in the final period, resulting in a 69-46 setback.
Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) led UC with 13 points, while freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) posted 12. Johnson grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, while Owens dished out a team-high four assists.
The Bearcats held the Bulls 11 points under their season scoring average and limited The American's leading scorer, Kitija Laksa, to just 12 points – 10 points under her season average. In addition, UC's bench outscored USF's reserves, 16-4. The Red & Black also turned 14 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points, and scored 26 points in the paint.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Currently sidelined with an injury, junior Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC for the season with 13.1 points per game. Thomas follows with 11.9 points a contest. In addition, Johnson grabs a team-best 6.5 rebounds each game, while Owens dishes out 4.5 assists per contest.
A pair of Bearcats earned American Athletic Conference weekly accolades on Tuesday with Thomas selected as Freshman of the Week, while Owens was picked for the Weekly Honor Roll. Tuesday's distinction marks the third time this season Thomas has been selected as the conference's Freshman of the Week. Meanwhile, Owens' honor is her first weekly league nod this season and the eighth of her career.
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 1,270 career points places her 12th. 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 59.5 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league in field goal percentage per game at 43.6 percent. Additionally, the Red & Black round out the top three in the AAC in defensive rebounds with 27.7 boards per game.
Individually on the year, Thomas is second in The American in field-goal percentage per game at 59.5-percent, while sophomore guard Sam Rodgers' (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) 50-percent 3-point field-goal goal percentage is also second best. Johnson's 2.5 steals per contest ranks fourth in the league, while Owens' 4.5 assists a game is also fourth in the AAC.
// SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Last time out, Tulsa (7-8, 1-1 AAC) suffered a 72-63 home loss to Tulane on Wednesday. Tulsa sophomores Alexis Gaulden and Shug Dickson shared the team-lead with 14 points, while freshman Rebecca Lescay totaled 13 and senior Erika Wakefield added 12 points.
For the season, Dickson is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game. Kendrian Elliott is grabbing a Hurricane-high 7.6 rebounds a contest. Alexis Gaulden leads the team with 1.8 assists per game. As a team, Tulsa shoots a league-best 74.7-percent from the free-throw line, but shoots just 37.2 percent from the field. The Hurricane give up 62.8 points per game and limit opponents to 27.7-percent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Tulsa gets outrebounded by 1.3 boards a contest.
In the preseason, Tulsa was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team AAC.
// GOING LIVE
Fans can watch the game free of charge on TulsaHurricane.com. A live audio broadcast will be available on BearcatsTV. Live stats can be accessed here.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two teams with Tulsa holding a 4-1 series advantage. UC's only win came in its last visit to Tulsa on Jan. 23, 2016 when Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as the Red & Black edged the Hurricane, 55-53. In the last meeting, the Bearcats were defeated, 78-61, on Feb. 27, 2017 in the regular season finale in Cincinnati. Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) Johnson posted 17 points in the loss.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (9-6, 1-1 AAC) dropped a 69-46 decision to the 22nd-ranked USF Bulls on Wednesday night at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center in its first home American Athletic Conference game of the season.
The Bearcats scored the opening four point of the game, but then saw the Bulls go on a 10-0 run. After being edged 14-9 in the first quarter, the Red & Black fell behind by as many as 15 points late in the second quarter and faced a 29-18 deficit at halftime. UC battled back in the third quarter, whittling its deficit down to just seven points, 34-27, with 6:26 left in the period. USF responded with a 14-7 run to end the third to assume control of the game. The Bearcats were then outscored 21-12 in the final period, resulting in a 69-46 setback.
Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) led UC with 13 points, while freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) posted 12. Johnson grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, while Owens dished out a team-high four assists.
The Bearcats held the Bulls 11 points under their season scoring average and limited The American's leading scorer, Kitija Laksa, to just 12 points – 10 points under her season average. In addition, UC's bench outscored USF's reserves, 16-4. The Red & Black also turned 14 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points, and scored 26 points in the paint.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Currently sidelined with an injury, junior Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC for the season with 13.1 points per game. Thomas follows with 11.9 points a contest. In addition, Johnson grabs a team-best 6.5 rebounds each game, while Owens dishes out 4.5 assists per contest.
A pair of Bearcats earned American Athletic Conference weekly accolades on Tuesday with Thomas selected as Freshman of the Week, while Owens was picked for the Weekly Honor Roll. Tuesday's distinction marks the third time this season Thomas has been selected as the conference's Freshman of the Week. Meanwhile, Owens' honor is her first weekly league nod this season and the eighth of her career.
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 1,270 career points places her 12th. 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 59.5 points per game. The Bearcats are also third in the league in field goal percentage per game at 43.6 percent. Additionally, the Red & Black round out the top three in the AAC in defensive rebounds with 27.7 boards per game.
Individually on the year, Thomas is second in The American in field-goal percentage per game at 59.5-percent, while sophomore guard Sam Rodgers' (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) 50-percent 3-point field-goal goal percentage is also second best. Johnson's 2.5 steals per contest ranks fourth in the league, while Owens' 4.5 assists a game is also fourth in the AAC.
// SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Last time out, Tulsa (7-8, 1-1 AAC) suffered a 72-63 home loss to Tulane on Wednesday. Tulsa sophomores Alexis Gaulden and Shug Dickson shared the team-lead with 14 points, while freshman Rebecca Lescay totaled 13 and senior Erika Wakefield added 12 points.
For the season, Dickson is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game. Kendrian Elliott is grabbing a Hurricane-high 7.6 rebounds a contest. Alexis Gaulden leads the team with 1.8 assists per game. As a team, Tulsa shoots a league-best 74.7-percent from the free-throw line, but shoots just 37.2 percent from the field. The Hurricane give up 62.8 points per game and limit opponents to 27.7-percent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Tulsa gets outrebounded by 1.3 boards a contest.
In the preseason, Tulsa was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team AAC.