TicketsDALLAS – University of Cincinnati women's basketball will head west for the third time this month when it visits SMU on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. EST tipoff inside Moody Coliseum.
// GOING LIVE
Fans can watch the game live on the American Digital Network, free of charge. Live stats will be available through SMUMustangs.com.
// THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two teams with SMU holding a slight, 4-3, series advantage. The Bearcats came away victorious in the last matchup, a 67-65 win in Cincinnati on Jan. 17, 2017. Forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) led the way for UC with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Mustangs have a 2-1 edge against the Red & Black in games played in Dallas, including a 64-47 SMU win on Dec. 31, 2016.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (12-7, 4-2 AAC) won its third-consecutive game on Sunday when it bested the Memphis Tigers, 64-53, inside Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center.
Back in competition after an eight-day layoff, the Red & Black started strong, manufacturing a 10-0 streak in the opening quarter, and took a 20-10 advantage into the second. Playing with only six players on the day, Memphis battled back to outscore UC 25-15 in the following period to even up the contest at halftime, 35-35.
The game was back and forth in the third quarter with two ties and two lead changes. The Bearcats ended the period with a 5-1 burst over the final 3:30 to go into the closing stanza with a 47-43 lead. UC quickly jumped out to a 55-45 lead in the fourth with an 8-2 run over the opening 2:30 of the period to take control of the game. UC remained solid over the duration, not allowing the Tiger to get closer than eight points as it put the game away, 64-53.
The Bearcats were paced by senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who scored 18 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) contributed 13 points and six rebounds, while freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) just missed her third double-double of the year with nine points and a team and season-high 13 rebounds. Memphis' Brea Elmore posted a game-best 26 points.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Currently sidelined with an injury, junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Thomas is not far behind with 11.7 points a contest and averages a team-best 6.4 rebounds. Owens posts 11.5 points as well as a team-high 4.3 assists each game. Johnson is posting 9.9 points per, as well as a Bearcats-best 2.4 steals.
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 1,337 career points places her 12th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end. In addition, starting every game of her collegiate career, Owens is currently third all-time in starts in program history with 110.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in field-goal percentage, shooting 43.3 percent. The Red & Black also rank third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.0 and in rebounding margin at +4.9. The Bearcats are fourth in The American in both scoring offense and scoring defense a game at 68.5 points and 61.2 points, respectively. In addition, UC rounds out the top four in the AAC in assists with 15.3 per and in defensive rebounds with 27.6 a contest. Furthermore, the Bearcats are limiting their opponents to 37.5 percent shooting which in fifth-best in the conference.
Individually on the year, Rizor is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 60.8 percent with Thomas second at 60.3. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 91.8-percent and is tied for fourth in The American with 4.3 assists a contest. Johnson is fifth-best in the league in steals with 2.4 a game. In addition, sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) knocks down a seventh-in-the-AAC 38.1 percent of her 3-point attempts, while Rizor grabs 2.7 offensive rebounds each contest which is tied for ninth in The American.
// SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
SMU (7-12, 1-5 AAC), against the conference's top scoring defense, struggled to find consistency on offense on Saturday afternoon, falling to UCF, 58-43. Senior guard McKenzie Adams once again led the way for SMU on the offensive end, scoring a team-high 14 points.
For the season, Adams leads the Mustangs with 18.0 points per game, while senior guard Kiara Perry chips in 10.3. Perry also posts team bests of 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals each contest, while senior guard Mikayla Reese averages 5.2 assists.
SMU gives up just 60.7 points a game, limiting opponents to 35.9-percent shooting which is third-best in the league. The Mustangs are second in the AAC in both blocked shots and offensive rebounds a contest at 4.5 and 15.5, respectively. SMU does struggle to score, though, dead last in the conference in both scoring per game (57.7) and field-goal percentage (.349).
In the preseason, SMU was picked to finish fifth in the 12-team American with senior forward Alicia Froling, who has yet to play this season, a Second Team All-Conference selection.
// GOING LIVE
Fans can watch the game live on the American Digital Network, free of charge. Live stats will be available through SMUMustangs.com.
// THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two teams with SMU holding a slight, 4-3, series advantage. The Bearcats came away victorious in the last matchup, a 67-65 win in Cincinnati on Jan. 17, 2017. Forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) led the way for UC with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Mustangs have a 2-1 edge against the Red & Black in games played in Dallas, including a 64-47 SMU win on Dec. 31, 2016.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (12-7, 4-2 AAC) won its third-consecutive game on Sunday when it bested the Memphis Tigers, 64-53, inside Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center.
Back in competition after an eight-day layoff, the Red & Black started strong, manufacturing a 10-0 streak in the opening quarter, and took a 20-10 advantage into the second. Playing with only six players on the day, Memphis battled back to outscore UC 25-15 in the following period to even up the contest at halftime, 35-35.
The game was back and forth in the third quarter with two ties and two lead changes. The Bearcats ended the period with a 5-1 burst over the final 3:30 to go into the closing stanza with a 47-43 lead. UC quickly jumped out to a 55-45 lead in the fourth with an 8-2 run over the opening 2:30 of the period to take control of the game. UC remained solid over the duration, not allowing the Tiger to get closer than eight points as it put the game away, 64-53.
The Bearcats were paced by senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who scored 18 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) contributed 13 points and six rebounds, while freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) just missed her third double-double of the year with nine points and a team and season-high 13 rebounds. Memphis' Brea Elmore posted a game-best 26 points.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Currently sidelined with an injury, junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC in scoring with 13.1 points per game. Thomas is not far behind with 11.7 points a contest and averages a team-best 6.4 rebounds. Owens posts 11.5 points as well as a team-high 4.3 assists each game. Johnson is posting 9.9 points per, as well as a Bearcats-best 2.4 steals.
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 1,337 career points places her 12th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before season's end. In addition, starting every game of her collegiate career, Owens is currently third all-time in starts in program history with 110.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in field-goal percentage, shooting 43.3 percent. The Red & Black also rank third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.0 and in rebounding margin at +4.9. The Bearcats are fourth in The American in both scoring offense and scoring defense a game at 68.5 points and 61.2 points, respectively. In addition, UC rounds out the top four in the AAC in assists with 15.3 per and in defensive rebounds with 27.6 a contest. Furthermore, the Bearcats are limiting their opponents to 37.5 percent shooting which in fifth-best in the conference.
Individually on the year, Rizor is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 60.8 percent with Thomas second at 60.3. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 91.8-percent and is tied for fourth in The American with 4.3 assists a contest. Johnson is fifth-best in the league in steals with 2.4 a game. In addition, sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) knocks down a seventh-in-the-AAC 38.1 percent of her 3-point attempts, while Rizor grabs 2.7 offensive rebounds each contest which is tied for ninth in The American.
// SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
SMU (7-12, 1-5 AAC), against the conference's top scoring defense, struggled to find consistency on offense on Saturday afternoon, falling to UCF, 58-43. Senior guard McKenzie Adams once again led the way for SMU on the offensive end, scoring a team-high 14 points.
For the season, Adams leads the Mustangs with 18.0 points per game, while senior guard Kiara Perry chips in 10.3. Perry also posts team bests of 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals each contest, while senior guard Mikayla Reese averages 5.2 assists.
SMU gives up just 60.7 points a game, limiting opponents to 35.9-percent shooting which is third-best in the league. The Mustangs are second in the AAC in both blocked shots and offensive rebounds a contest at 4.5 and 15.5, respectively. SMU does struggle to score, though, dead last in the conference in both scoring per game (57.7) and field-goal percentage (.349).
In the preseason, SMU was picked to finish fifth in the 12-team American with senior forward Alicia Froling, who has yet to play this season, a Second Team All-Conference selection.