TicketsCINCINNATI – After a week off from competition, University of Cincinnati women's basketball will welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 17 for a 2 p.m. tipoff for its annual Wear Pink game, presented by UC Health. Admission to the game will be free of charge as part of the season-long Experience UC initiative. The game will be broadcast live on the American Digital Network.
// 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
Partnering with UC Health, the matchup will be the annual Wear Pink game in support of breast cancer awareness. In conjunction, the Bearcats will be wearing custom-made, pink Under Armour uniforms. Attending fans are also encouraged to wear pink. Pink t-shirts will be given away to fans upon entry to the facility. At halftime, a presentation will take place involving UC leadership and the SUA administration. Following the game, fans will have the opportunity to get autographs from the Bearcats as part of Signature Saturday.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the seventh all-time meeting, and the second this season, between the two teams with the Hurricane holding a 5-1 series advantage. UC has come up short in the last three tilts including a 64-51 loss at Tulsa on Jan. 6. Senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) each scored 10 points in the defeat. The Red & Black has never defeated TU in Cincinnati.
// LAST TIME OUT
A dominant second quarter by UC (15-10, 7-5 AAC) paved the way for a runaway, 83-52 victory over the visiting Tulane Green Wave on Feb. 10 at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center. The triumph marked UC's largest margin of victory in an AAC game in its five seasons in the league.
Fresh off a big, road win On Feb. 7 at Wichita State, UC and Tulane played a competitive first quarter with the Bearcats taking a 16-13 edge into the second. The Red & Black proceeded to dominate the following quarter, outscoring the Green Wave, 24-8, to take a commanding 40-21 lead into the halftime break.
Out of the locker room to begin the second half, UC saw its advantage dwindle to 15, 42-27, with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Bearcats responded by outscoring the visitors from New Orleans, 16-6, over the duration of the third to take back control of the game. The Red & Black played add-on in the final period, increasing its lead to a game-high 31 points to close the contest, 83-52.
With four double-figure scorers for the first time since Jan. 13 against Temple, freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) led the way for UC with 18 points – to go along with eight rebounds and two assists – in a reserve role off the bench. Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) continued her hot shooting with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC in scoring with 12.4 points per game. Thomas follows with 11.2 points a contest. Owens, too, is a double-figure scorer with 10.5 points each outing and dishes out a team-high 4.1 assists per. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) records Bearcats bests of 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals each contest, to go along with 9.7 points-a-game average.
Two Bearcats garnered American Athletic Conference weekly distinctions on Monday with Thomas tabbed as Freshman of the Week, while Goings was chosen for the Weekly Honor Roll. The pair was instrumental last week in helping UC go 2-0. Thomas averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds each game, while Goings posted 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 3-point makes, and 3.2 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 1,381 career points places her 12th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before the season's end. In addition, starting every game of her collegiate career, Owens is currently third all-time in starts in program history with 116. She is also marked in the Bearcats record book as third all-time in minutes played (4,083), fifth in made 3-pointers (180), fourth in free-throw percentage (.830), and fifth in assists (385).
As a team, UC is third in the conference in both assists and defensive rebounds per game at 15.2 and 27.9, respectively. In addition, the Bearcats are fourth in the league in a number of statistical categories including scoring offense (67.6 ppg), field-goal percentage (.424), and rebounding margin (+4.0). Furthermore, the Red & Black give up 62.4 points each contest, allow 37.5-percent shooting by its opponents, and shoot 71.9 percent from the free-throw line – each fifth-best in the AAC.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 62.6 percent, with Rizor fourth at 58.1. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 93.3 percent and is eighth in The American with 4.1 assists a contest. Johnson is seventh-best in the league in steals with 2.2 a game. In addition, Goings is sixth in the AAC in both 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-point field goal makes an outing at 38.5 percent and 2.4, respectively.
// SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Four Tulsa (9-16, 3-9 AAC) players scored in double figures to lead the Golden Hurricane to an 83-77 upset victory over Houston on Feb. 10. Sophomore guard Shug Dickson had a game-high 29-points and a team-best seven rebounds, followed by senior guard Erika Wakefield with 20 points, a career-high six steals and four assists.
For the season, Tulsa is led by Dickson's 15.0 points per, while Wakefield averages 10.4. Sophomore forward Kendrian Elliott grabs a team-best 6.4 rebounds a contest, while Wakefield swipes a Hurricane-high 1.6 steals. Additionally, Dickson ranks third in the league in free-throw percentage at 91.8 percent.
As a team, the Golden Hurricane is fourth in The American in free-throw percentage with 73.4-percent shooting. TU ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage at 29.7 percent, turnover ratio at +0.04, and defensive rebounds per game with 25.6. Furthermore, Tulsa scores 61.7 points an outing, but gives up 65.1. The Hurricane shoots the ball at a 37.4-percent clip from the floor and gets outrebounded by 3.4 boards per.
In the preseason, Tulane was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team AAC.
// FOLLOW THE TEAM
Stay connected with Bearcats Women's Basketball on Facebook (@GoBearcatsWBB), Twitter (@GoBearcatsWBB) and Instagram (@GoBearcatsWBB).
// 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
Partnering with UC Health, the matchup will be the annual Wear Pink game in support of breast cancer awareness. In conjunction, the Bearcats will be wearing custom-made, pink Under Armour uniforms. Attending fans are also encouraged to wear pink. Pink t-shirts will be given away to fans upon entry to the facility. At halftime, a presentation will take place involving UC leadership and the SUA administration. Following the game, fans will have the opportunity to get autographs from the Bearcats as part of Signature Saturday.
// THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will be the seventh all-time meeting, and the second this season, between the two teams with the Hurricane holding a 5-1 series advantage. UC has come up short in the last three tilts including a 64-51 loss at Tulsa on Jan. 6. Senior guard Ana Owens (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and sophomore forward Angel Rizor (Zebulon, N.C./East Wake) each scored 10 points in the defeat. The Red & Black has never defeated TU in Cincinnati.
// LAST TIME OUT
A dominant second quarter by UC (15-10, 7-5 AAC) paved the way for a runaway, 83-52 victory over the visiting Tulane Green Wave on Feb. 10 at Saint Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center. The triumph marked UC's largest margin of victory in an AAC game in its five seasons in the league.
Fresh off a big, road win On Feb. 7 at Wichita State, UC and Tulane played a competitive first quarter with the Bearcats taking a 16-13 edge into the second. The Red & Black proceeded to dominate the following quarter, outscoring the Green Wave, 24-8, to take a commanding 40-21 lead into the halftime break.
Out of the locker room to begin the second half, UC saw its advantage dwindle to 15, 42-27, with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Bearcats responded by outscoring the visitors from New Orleans, 16-6, over the duration of the third to take back control of the game. The Red & Black played add-on in the final period, increasing its lead to a game-high 31 points to close the contest, 83-52.
With four double-figure scorers for the first time since Jan. 13 against Temple, freshman forward IImar'I Thomas (Oakland, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep) led the way for UC with 18 points – to go along with eight rebounds and two assists – in a reserve role off the bench. Junior guard Nikira Goings (Marietta, Ga./Osborne) continued her hot shooting with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
// SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Goings is leading UC in scoring with 12.4 points per game. Thomas follows with 11.2 points a contest. Owens, too, is a double-figure scorer with 10.5 points each outing and dishes out a team-high 4.1 assists per. Senior forward Shanice Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara/Monroe CC) records Bearcats bests of 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals each contest, to go along with 9.7 points-a-game average.
Two Bearcats garnered American Athletic Conference weekly distinctions on Monday with Thomas tabbed as Freshman of the Week, while Goings was chosen for the Weekly Honor Roll. The pair was instrumental last week in helping UC go 2-0. Thomas averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds each game, while Goings posted 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 3-point makes, and 3.2 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 1,381 career points places her 12th. She is on pace to break into the top 10 all-time before the season's end. In addition, starting every game of her collegiate career, Owens is currently third all-time in starts in program history with 116. She is also marked in the Bearcats record book as third all-time in minutes played (4,083), fifth in made 3-pointers (180), fourth in free-throw percentage (.830), and fifth in assists (385).
As a team, UC is third in the conference in both assists and defensive rebounds per game at 15.2 and 27.9, respectively. In addition, the Bearcats are fourth in the league in a number of statistical categories including scoring offense (67.6 ppg), field-goal percentage (.424), and rebounding margin (+4.0). Furthermore, the Red & Black give up 62.4 points each contest, allow 37.5-percent shooting by its opponents, and shoot 71.9 percent from the free-throw line – each fifth-best in the AAC.
Individually on the year, Thomas is tops in the AAC in field-goal percentage at 62.6 percent, with Rizor fourth at 58.1. Owens is second in the conference in free-throw percentage at 93.3 percent and is eighth in The American with 4.1 assists a contest. Johnson is seventh-best in the league in steals with 2.2 a game. In addition, Goings is sixth in the AAC in both 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-point field goal makes an outing at 38.5 percent and 2.4, respectively.
// SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Four Tulsa (9-16, 3-9 AAC) players scored in double figures to lead the Golden Hurricane to an 83-77 upset victory over Houston on Feb. 10. Sophomore guard Shug Dickson had a game-high 29-points and a team-best seven rebounds, followed by senior guard Erika Wakefield with 20 points, a career-high six steals and four assists.
For the season, Tulsa is led by Dickson's 15.0 points per, while Wakefield averages 10.4. Sophomore forward Kendrian Elliott grabs a team-best 6.4 rebounds a contest, while Wakefield swipes a Hurricane-high 1.6 steals. Additionally, Dickson ranks third in the league in free-throw percentage at 91.8 percent.
As a team, the Golden Hurricane is fourth in The American in free-throw percentage with 73.4-percent shooting. TU ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage at 29.7 percent, turnover ratio at +0.04, and defensive rebounds per game with 25.6. Furthermore, Tulsa scores 61.7 points an outing, but gives up 65.1. The Hurricane shoots the ball at a 37.4-percent clip from the floor and gets outrebounded by 3.4 boards per.
In the preseason, Tulane was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team AAC.
// FOLLOW THE TEAM
Stay connected with Bearcats Women's Basketball on Facebook (@GoBearcatsWBB), Twitter (@GoBearcatsWBB) and Instagram (@GoBearcatsWBB).