TicketsCINCINNATI at WICHITA STATE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020
TIP: 2 PM CT (3 PM ET)
CHARLES KOCH ARENA • WICHITA, KS
TV: ESPN3 (Tim Grubbs & Kelly Stewart)
RADIO: BearcatsTV (Matt Noonan)
// THE GAME: The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will look to get back into the win column Saturday as the Bearcats will travel to Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan., to face Wichita State in a crucial American Athletic Conference game. The game, which will tip at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) on ESPN3, will go a long way toward tournament seeding as the Bearcats are tied for second with both USF and UCF at 9-5 with just two games to go.
// THE SERIES: Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 3-0, with one win each of the last two seasons as members of the American. The last time the two teams met was February 10, 2019, with the Bearcats claiming an 82-54 win in Cincinnati. Two years ago, UC left Wichita with a 75-69 victory in the first AAC game between the two sides.
// LAST TIME OUT: Cincinnati saw its 12-game home winning streak come to an end as #6/#4 UConn defeated the Bearcats Wednesday night, 105-58. Antoinette Miller led the way for the Bearcats with 17 points - her third game in a row with at least 17 - while six others each scored at least five points for the Bearcats in the loss.
// TIP INS
• UC is currently tied for second in the American standings at 9-5 with two games to go in the regular season.
• Cincinnati currently has 697 all-time victories, just three away from reaching the 700-victory milestone.
• Cincinnati had won 12 in a row at home prior to Wednesday's loss to UConn. The streak tied for the 2nd-longest in program history and the longest since UC won 13 in a row at home in the 2002-03 season.
• The Bearcats have created a formidable home-court advantage inside newly-renovated Fifth Third Arena with a 30-5 home record going back to last season. In total, the Red & Black boasts a 77.0% (54-17) winning percentage on their home floor over the last four seasons.
• Cincinnati now has three current players that have scored 1,000 or more points in their careers as Angel Rizor was the 29th member of the club following her 18 points Sunday against Tulane. Rizor (1,007) joined by IImar'I Thomas (1,268) and Antoinette Miller (1,120) in the club after each reached the milestone earlier this season.
• Following another big game for the Bearcats that included team highs in points (25) and assists (5), Thomas was named to this week's AAC Honor Roll. The accolade is her sixth Honor Roll selection of the year.
// TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the 2020 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championships are on sale now. The tournament will once again be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and will take place March 6-9. To purchase your ticket, visit: https://cpaw.io/wbb20_aactourney.
// IN THE CLUB
Sunday against Tulane, Angel Rizor became the 29th member of UC's 1,000 Point Club as she scored the 18 points she needed to hit 1,000 exactly. Not only did Rizor join the club, she also became the third active member of the team to do so this year after both IImar'I Thomas and Antoinette Miller did so earlier in the season. Following the game with UConn, Thomas moved up to #13 all-time with 1,268 points while Miller claimed the #20 spot with 1,120 points.
// HOW THEY GOT THERE
IImar'I Thomas • vs. Coppin State (12/30/19)
Thomas scored 21 points and added six boards as she eclipsed the 1,000 point mark and became the 27th member of the club. Thomas needed 10 points in the game to reach the milestone and more than doubled that as she scored 20 or more in a game for the sixth time so far in the season.
Antoinette Miller • vs. Temple (1/26/20)
Miller entered the game with Temple in need of 19 points to reach 1,000 for her career and topped that with 21 points scored. The 28th member of the club, Miller finished the game with 11 of her points coming at the free-throw line while she also dished four assists, pulled down three rebounds and blocked one shot.
Angel Rizor • vs. Tulane (2/23/20)
Rizor came into the game needing 18 and scored exactly 18, including draining two free throws in the fourth quarter for points 999 and 1,000... she finished the game with 18 points, which included a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, 9 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 35 minutes of play.
// CLIMBING HIGHER
Entering the final two games of the regular season, the Bearcats currently sit in a three-way tie with UCF and USF for the #2 position in the league. Should the Bearcats finish second, it would mark their highest AAC finish ever, surpassing last year's third-place showing. It would also continue a trend that has seen UC move higher in the standings over the recent years. The Bearcats were ninth in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 before moving to seventh and then fourth. Last year, Coach Clark-Heard took the team to new heights as they finished third and are on pace for another record finish.
// GETTING WINS
With a 9-5 record in league play, a win at Wichita State Saturday would give Cincinnati its 10th conference victory of the year, marking just the third time in the AAC era (and third year in a row) that the Bearcats reached double-digit league wins. Should UC defeat WSU on the road and defeat ECU at home Monday in the regular-season finale, UC would finish 11-5 and post the second-most wins in the AAC era for the program, surpassed only by last year's 12-4 record.
// ANT FINDING HER TOUCH
In the last three games, Antoinette Miller has tallied at least 17 points, including 17 against #6 UConn Wednesday night. For the season, Miller is second on the team with a 15.6 scoring average that also ranks sixth in the American. Additionally, she led the team with three assists and two steals against the Huskies as she continues to climb the career ledgers in both categories, sitting sixth all-time in assists (370) and 10th in steals (154).
// 23 GOES OVER 20
For the 10th time this season and 15th time in her career, Thomas scored 20 or more points in a game as she finished with 25 against Tulane Sunday. So far this year, Thomas has posted two games of 30+, including 32 at home against UCF and then 35 at home against Houston for a career-high. Additionally, she has scored 29 once and now 25 twice.
// NEED ANOTHER HAND
Following her performance against the Green Wave, Thomas was selected to the weekly AAC Honor Roll for the sixth time this year. A nine-time weekly award winner in 2019-20 (three times named the AAC Player of the Week as well), Thomas moved back into the conference lead in scoring average as she is scoring at a 19.2 clip.
// IIMAR'I PULLING RANK
On the season, Thomas is averaging 18.7 points per game (3rd in the AAC), including 18.4 per in conference play (3rd). Her team-leading 8.2 rebounds each time out ranks as seventh-best in The American and her 58.9% shooting from the field – and 60.6% in league play – also ranks first in the conference and 12th nationally. Furthermore on the season, she averages 3.6 offensive rebounds (3rd in AAC) and 80.6% free-throw shooting (4th in AAC). Nationally, the junior ranks 12th in field goals made (199), 13th in field goal percentage (58.9%), and 24th in total points (506).
// FROM THE LINE
Sunday against Tulane, the Bearcats entered halftime 1-of-1 from the free throw line. At the end of the game, UC finished 20-of-22 from the stripe, connecting on 90.9% of their attempts for the. The seventh time the Bearcats have attempted 20+ free throws in a game this year, UC shot over 80% from the line for the fifth time as well. The Bearcats currently lead the American in free throw percentage, connecting at 73.7% clip.
// STREAKING
The 12-game home winning streak that was snapped in the UConn loss stood as the second-longest in program history. The longest streak is 13 in a row that the 2002-03 team pieced together on its way to a 15-2 record at home. Two other teams posted 12-game winning streaks, including the 2000-01 (15-2) and 1980-81 (17-2) squads.
// CLOSING IN
Cincinnati had just one home game remaining on its 2019-20 regular-season schedule. That game will come Monday, March 2, at 7 p.m. against ECU. The game also will be Senior Night for four members of the program - Antoinette Miller, Angel Rizor, Sam Rodgers and Florence Sifa - all of whom will be recognized in a post-game ceremony.
// PAINTING PROJECT
Against Tulane, the Bearcats went to work in the paint as the scored 52 of their 87 points in the paint. The 52 points are the second-most scored this year by UC, surpassed only by the 60 UC tallied against Miami (Ohio). To date, UC is averaging 35.3 points per game in the paint.
// CAREER LISTS
Four Bearcats have moved into the all-time Top 10 in several career statistical categories:
- Sam Rodgers is now #9 all-time in career three-pointers made (137) while ranking #10 in attempts (401).
- Angel Rizor is #8 in rebounds (685) and #9 in blocked shots (61)... she needs three and one, respectively to move up in the rankings.
- Antoinette Miller is #6 in assists (367) and recently moved into a tie for #10 for steals (152).
- IImar'I Thomas is #4 for blocked shots (90) and needs eight rebounds to move into a tie for #10 all-time.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
For the third time this year and the second time in six days, both Rizor and Thomas combined to post double-doubles in the same game. Rizor's 20 and 10 was complimented by Thomas' 16 and 13 just six days after the duo posted 15-13 and 21-11, respectively, against Tulsa. The Houston game marked the third time the duo posted double-doubles in the same game with the first coming against Ohio State as Rizor posted 10 and 12 and Thomas added 25 and 12.
// THIEF!
The Bearcats recorded 10 steals against Houston (2/18/20) with Sam Rodgers recording a career-high five thefts in the game. Previously, her high was four (twice), most recently coming against Wichita State last year (2/10/19).
// DEFENSE
At UCF, the Bearcats limited the Knights to just four points in the first quarter and 15 points total in the first half. The four points in the first quarter marked the second time UC had limited an opponent to under 10 points in the opening quarter of play (9, Ball State) and the eighth time overall this year a team has been limited to under 10 points in any quarter. The four points also are the fewest allowed in any quarter this year, surpassing the five score by USF in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati February 2. Overall, the 15 points allowed in the first half are the fewest of any half this year, surpassing the 16 Coppin State scored in the first half.
// SHE'S ON FIRE!
For the second time in three games, one of UC's players went off from outside the arc and, this time, it was Antoinette Miller at Houston as the senior drained 5-of-8 trey attempts to tie a career high. Against Tulsa last week, Sam Rodgers caught fire from behind the arc as she too finished 5-of-8 for the day and tied her career-high for made treys in a contest.
// HISTORIC WIN
UC's 86-40 defeat of Coppin State on Dec. 30 was the Bearcats' largest margin of victory since Dec. 4, 1982 when they defeated Carlow 101-24 on a neutral floor in Pittsburgh. The win also capped a perfect 6-0 record during the month of December. The last time UC recorded a perfect month of competition came in 2011 when they started the season with a 5-0 record during November.
// RODGERS HONORED
On the heels of back-to-back impressive showings, Rodgers was picked for the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, Dec. 23. She collected the honor after averaging 15.5 points, 57.1% shooting (5-of-9) from 3-point range, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in helping UC to a pair of wins on the week. The weekly league honor was Rodgers' first of this season and the second of her career. For the season, the Cincinnati native is averaging 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals a contest. In addition, her assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) is fourth-best in the AAC, while her 36.5 minutes each outing is fourth-most in the league.
// SCORING EXPLOSION
UC's 98-point scoring output vs. Miami (OH) on Dec. 8 was the most since tallying 96 at home vs. Valparaiso (96-69) on Nov. 16, 2007. The last time the Bearcats scored more than 98 was in 2003 when they netted 105 vs. Charleston Southern. UC's record scoring output is 109 at Marquette in 1992.
// MILLER'S MEMORABLE SEASON
Antoinette Miller burst onto the scene in 2018-19, leading the Bearcats to their best season in over 15 years. Individually, she made a mark on the UC record book with a couple notable career statistical jumps. She entered this season ranked 5th all-time in minutes played (1,185) and 3rd all-time in assists (183).
// 2020 SIGNING CLASS
The University of Cincinnati women's basketball has signed a talented quartet of 2020 recruits, complete with highly-decorated student-athletes Riane Burton, Caitlin Elseser, Jillian Hayes, and Destiny Haymer.
Burton ranks as the No. 88 prospect nationally and a four-star recruit in the 2020 class by Prospects Nation … Tabbed as the No. 10 wing in the country in her class by ESPN … Averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior at Cypress Ranch High School ... Three-time First Team All-District honoree … 2018-19 All-Greater Houston First Teamer and All-State selection.
Elseser averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds per game as a junior at Liberty-Benton High School … Division III Third Team All-Ohio and Second Team All-Northwest District in 2019 … First Team Blanchard Valley Conference pick … Four-year high school volleyball letter winner who was recently a part of a state championship team.
Hayes ranks as the No. 116 prospect in the 2020 class by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report … Tabbed as a four-star recruit by Prospects Nation … Averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds per game as a junior at Loveland High School … Honorable Mention Division I All-Ohio and Second Team All-Southwest District in 2019 ... Father Jonathan is current head coach of the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks, her mother, Kristi, a former Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year at Drake, and her brother, Jaxson, the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and a current member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Haymer ranks as the No. 12 junior college recruit in the 2020 class by All Star Girls Report (ASGR) ... First Team All-MACJC and NJCAA All-Region 23 pick in 2019 ... Averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in a year ago ... In high school, was tabbed the 2017-18 Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year ... Averaged 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 3.4 assists per game … Led the Jaguars to the 2016 5A state championship...Had 10 career triple-doubles and one quadruple-double.
// THOMAS ON TOP
After shooting 60.4% from the field in 2018-19, IImar'I Thomas' career field-goal percentage currently sits at 59.8% which is best in program history, trailed by Linda Norwell who shot 53.4% from 1974-77. Thomas was second in the conference and Top 15 nationally in shooting last season.
// CONTINUING MOMENTUM
UC will aim to continue the momentum from last year's historic season which included consecutive postseason wins for the first time in program history (WNIT quarterfinals), first 20-win season (24) since 2003, first time with 12 conference wins since 1999, and highest-ever finish in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) (3rd).
// THEY'RE BACK
With nine newcomers to the program in 2019-20, the Red & Black returns five starters, as well as Illinois transfer Addaya Moore. Returning senior starters include 2019 second team all-AAC pick Miller, Rizor, and Sam Rodgers. In addition, first team all-conference honoree Thomas and reigning league Newcomer of the Year Florence Sifa are also back.
// UP NEXT
The final game of the regular-season awaits the Bearcats Monday night as they will welcome the Pirates of ECU to Fifth Third Arena for a 7 p.m. game. Following the game, which will be aired live on BearcatsTV, the program will honor its four seniors and their contributions to the program.