TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati women's basketball will aim to extend its four-game winning streak Saturday when it hosts the ECU Pirates for a 2 p.m. tipoff inside Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center. Admission to the game will be free of charge as part of the season-long 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. The bus will depart from the Bearcat statue on campus at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Free student shuttles to home UC women's basketball games will continue throughout the season.
// GAME PROMOTIONS
The first 100 fans at the game will receive a free Bearcats blanket upon entry to the facility.
// 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
Saturday's matchup will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two teams with ECU holding a 6-2 series advantage. The Bearcats have won two of the last three meetings including a 66-54 road victory on Dec. 30, 2017 to open American Athletic Conference play this season. UC had four double-figure scorers led by game highs of 18 points and seven assists from senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) in the triumph. The Red & Black trails the Pirates, 2-1, all-time in games played in Cincinnati including a 74-64 UC win inside Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 21, 2017. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) led the way for the Bearcats 22 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (13-7, 5-2 AAC) made it four straight on Wednesday when it took care of business on the road at SMU with a 58-40 win.
Riding the momentum of three-consecutive wins, UC jumped ahead early with an 8-0 run in the first quarter, resulting in a 19-11 advantage heading into the second period. Both teams struggled to score in the following quarter, but the Bearcats edged the Mustangs, 9-8, to take a 27-20 lead into halftime. Out of the break, the Red & Black increased its lead to as many as 11 points midway through the third quarter and continued with a 13-point surplus late. In the driver's seat to begin the final period, the Bearcats put the game away with an 11-0 run early in the fourth as they cruised to a 58-40 victory.
For the eighth time this season, Owens led the way with a game-high 14 points, to go along with five rebounds and four assists. The production continued with sophomore guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) scoring 10 points off of the bench. Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, eight points, three assists, three blocks, and one steal. In addition, sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) scored nine points, while Johnson did a little bit of everything with eight rebounds, seven points, four assists, and two blocks.
UC suffocated SMU into 23-percent shooting from the field for the game. The Bearcats also dominated on the boards, 51-39, and scored 18 fast-break points. Furthermore, the Red & Black got 14 points from its bench and knocked down nine 3-pointers.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Owens follows with 11.7 points per and a team-high 4.3 assists each game. Freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is not far behind with 11.1 points a contest. Johnson is posting team bests of 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per.
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 1,351 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 111.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 60.2 points per game, and only allows its opponents to shoot 36.9 percent from the field which also ranks third. The Red & Black rounds out the top three in the AAC in rebound margin (+5.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0), additionally. The Bearcats score 68.0 points each contest and shoot 42.9 percent from the field which both rank fourth in The American. In addition, UC dishes out a fourth-best-in-the-conference 15.3 assists per.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 60.3 percent with Rizor fourth at 58.5. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 91.8 percent and is 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, Rizor ranks in a tie for ninth in the conference in offensive rebounds per contest with 2.8, while Goings knocks down a third-in-the-AAC 42.0 percent of her 3-point attempts.
// SCOUTING THE PIRATES
ECU (10-10, 2-5 AAC) fell 64-58 on the road to Tulane in Devlin Fieldhouse Wednesday night. Senior forward Mickayla Sanders led the Pirates in scoring for the second time this season with 10 points. Senior center Thais Oliveira notched eight points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
For the season, the Pirates are paced by freshman guard Ariyana Williams' 10.6 points a game, with Oliveira adding 8.8 points per. Oliveira also grabs a team-best 6.2 rebounds a contest, while junior guard Alex Frazier dishes out a ECU-best 4.2 assists per. Sophomore guard/forward Dominique Claytor swipes a team-best 2.0 steals each game.
ECU is tops in The American with 15.8 offensive rebounds per contest. The Pirates rank third in the AAC in both blocked shots (4.4) and steals (10.7) a game. Furthermore, ECU scores 63.8 points a contest, but gives up 65.5. The Purple & Gold rank 10th in the league in field-goal percentage (37.4 percent) and last in three-point field-goal percentage (24.2 percent).
In the preseason, ECU was picked to finish last in the 12-team AAC.
// 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. The bus will depart from the Bearcat statue on campus at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Free student shuttles to home UC women's basketball games will continue throughout the season.
// GAME PROMOTIONS
The first 100 fans at the game will receive a free Bearcats blanket upon entry to the facility.
// 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
Saturday's matchup will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two teams with ECU holding a 6-2 series advantage. The Bearcats have won two of the last three meetings including a 66-54 road victory on Dec. 30, 2017 to open American Athletic Conference play this season. UC had four double-figure scorers led by game highs of 18 points and seven assists from senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) in the triumph. The Red & Black trails the Pirates, 2-1, all-time in games played in Cincinnati including a 74-64 UC win inside Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 21, 2017. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) led the way for the Bearcats 22 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (13-7, 5-2 AAC) made it four straight on Wednesday when it took care of business on the road at SMU with a 58-40 win.
Riding the momentum of three-consecutive wins, UC jumped ahead early with an 8-0 run in the first quarter, resulting in a 19-11 advantage heading into the second period. Both teams struggled to score in the following quarter, but the Bearcats edged the Mustangs, 9-8, to take a 27-20 lead into halftime. Out of the break, the Red & Black increased its lead to as many as 11 points midway through the third quarter and continued with a 13-point surplus late. In the driver's seat to begin the final period, the Bearcats put the game away with an 11-0 run early in the fourth as they cruised to a 58-40 victory.
For the eighth time this season, Owens led the way with a game-high 14 points, to go along with five rebounds and four assists. The production continued with sophomore guard Antoinette Miller (Detroit, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup) scoring 10 points off of the bench. Sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, eight points, three assists, three blocks, and one steal. In addition, sophomore guard Sam Rodgers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota East) scored nine points, while Johnson did a little bit of everything with eight rebounds, seven points, four assists, and two blocks.
UC suffocated SMU into 23-percent shooting from the field for the game. The Bearcats also dominated on the boards, 51-39, and scored 18 fast-break points. Furthermore, the Red & Black got 14 points from its bench and knocked down nine 3-pointers.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) is leading UC in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Owens follows with 11.7 points per and a team-high 4.3 assists each game. Freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) is not far behind with 11.1 points a contest. Johnson is posting team bests of 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per.
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 1,351 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 111.
As a team, UC is third in the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 60.2 points per game, and only allows its opponents to shoot 36.9 percent from the field which also ranks third. The Red & Black rounds out the top three in the AAC in rebound margin (+5.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0), additionally. The Bearcats score 68.0 points each contest and shoot 42.9 percent from the field which both rank fourth in The American. In addition, UC dishes out a fourth-best-in-the-conference 15.3 assists per.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 60.3 percent with Rizor fourth at 58.5. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 91.8 percent and is 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, Rizor ranks in a tie for ninth in the conference in offensive rebounds per contest with 2.8, while Goings knocks down a third-in-the-AAC 42.0 percent of her 3-point attempts.
// SCOUTING THE PIRATES
ECU (10-10, 2-5 AAC) fell 64-58 on the road to Tulane in Devlin Fieldhouse Wednesday night. Senior forward Mickayla Sanders led the Pirates in scoring for the second time this season with 10 points. Senior center Thais Oliveira notched eight points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
For the season, the Pirates are paced by freshman guard Ariyana Williams' 10.6 points a game, with Oliveira adding 8.8 points per. Oliveira also grabs a team-best 6.2 rebounds a contest, while junior guard Alex Frazier dishes out a ECU-best 4.2 assists per. Sophomore guard/forward Dominique Claytor swipes a team-best 2.0 steals each game.
ECU is tops in The American with 15.8 offensive rebounds per contest. The Pirates rank third in the AAC in both blocked shots (4.4) and steals (10.7) a game. Furthermore, ECU scores 63.8 points a contest, but gives up 65.5. The Purple & Gold rank 10th in the league in field-goal percentage (37.4 percent) and last in three-point field-goal percentage (24.2 percent).
In the preseason, ECU was picked to finish last in the 12-team AAC.