WBB: Bearcats Play at Central Michigan on Saturday

CINCINNATI (1-2) at CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-1) 
Saturday, Dec. 12// Noon ET
McGuirk Arena // Mount Pleasant, Mich.
SERIES INFO: First meeting
COACHES: Michelle Clark-Heard is in her third season at Cincinnati (47-23); 11th season overall (225-103)
Heather Oesterle is in her second season at Central Michigan (24-8);second season overall (24-8)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 7): Cincinnati (--/--); Central Michigan (--/--)
TV: ESPN3; Jesse Goldberg-Strassler and Chris Jared
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GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (1-2) makes a quick turnaround to play at Central Michigan (1-1) on Saturday at Noon ET. The game will be available on ESPN3. 
• The Bearcats fell to Marquette, 86-75, Thursday at Fifth Third Arena. IImar'I Thomas scored a game-high 32 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 14-of-16 shooting from the free throw line. Destiny Haymer added 13 points.
• Central Michigan earned its first win of the season with an 82-71 home win over Mid-American Conference rival Western Michigan on  Wednesday. Molly Davis scored a game-high 21 points. 
• Saturday marks the first ever meeting between the teams.
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati opens American Athletic Conference league play Wednesday at Houston. 

CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• The AAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, senior forward IImar'I Thomas, entered action Friday ranked among the American Athletic Conference leaders in scoring (1st at 29.7), field goal percentage (1st at .647),  minutes played (1st at 40.0), free throw percentage (2nd at .880) and rebounds (9th at 6.7).  
• Thomas has scored more than 20 points in all three games this season, with two 30-point-plus performances. 
• Cincinnati was picked to finish in the preseason poll of league coaches behind USF, UCF and Tulane. The Bearcats did receive two first-place votes.
• Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since stringing together three consecutive 20-win campaigns from 2001-03.
• The Bearcats tied for second in the AAC regular-season standings a year ago with an 11-5 mark, the school's best finish in The American and its best league result since placing second in the Conference USA standings in 2004. 
• UC reached the championship game of the 2019 AAC Women's Championship, rallying from a 15-point deficit to post a 57-51 win over UCF. The effort resulted in the Bearcats first conference tournament championship game appearance since 2003 (Conference USA).
• Michelle Clark-Heard won more games (46) during her first two seasons at Cincinnati than any other head coach program history. She edged out Ceal Barry, who registered 45 wins combined through her first two seasons in Clifton (1979-80 and 1980-81). Clark-Heard is also the first coach in UC history to record 20-win seasons in each of her first two season on the job.

TOUTING THOMAS

• AAC NUMBERS: IImar'I Thomas entered action Friday ranked among the American Athletic Conference leaders in scoring (1st at 29.7 ppg), field goal percentage (1st at .647),  minutes played (1st at 40.0), free throw percentage (2nd at .880) and rebounds (9th at 6.7).
• 30-POINT EFFORTS TWICE THIS SEASON: Thomas has scored 30 or more points twice this season already, pouring in 34 points in UC's 76-67 overtime win over Northern Kentucky (11/25) and 32 points in UC's 86-75 loss to Marquette (12/10).   
• Thomas has eclipsed the 30-point plateau on two other occasions during her UC career. She netted 32 points against UCF on Jan. 12, 2020 before posting a career-best 35 points against Houston on Jan. 22, 2020. 
• Thomas has scored in double figures 70 times in her career, including in 55 of the last 65 contests. She has scored 20 or more points 22 times as a Bearcat, including all three games this season.
• RECOGNITION REDUX: Thomas garnered two awards this week for performance against NKU. She was named to the NCAA Weekly Starting Five and also tabbed the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week. 
• FROM THE FIELD: Thomas is shooting a program-record 60.0 percent from the field for her career, including a 64.7 percent effort this season.
• FROM THE FOUL LINE: Thomas is shooting 88.0 percent (22 of 25) from the free-throw line this season, including a career-best 14-of-16 effort against Marquette (12/10). 
• CAREER AWARDS:  2020-21: Co-Preseason Player of the Year ... 2020-21: Unanimous Preseason First Team All-AAC ... 2019-20: WBCA Honorable Mention All-America ... 2019-20: Unanimous First Team All-AAC ... 2018-19: AAC First Team All-AAC ... 2017-18: AAC Freshman of the Year ... 2017-18: Unanimous AAC All-Freshmen Team.

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• HAYMER GETS HOT: Junior guard Destiny Haymer poured in a season-best 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting  to go with three assists and two steals against Marquette (12/10).
• LOOKING TO OVERCOME SLOW STARTS: UC looks to correct an early trend this season. The Bearcats have been slow out of the gate in all three games, being outscored 53-30 in the opening quarter. UC fell behind early against Marquette on Wednesday, 27-12 after the first frame, including a 16-0 run to start the game. 
• NIANG DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Arame Niang recorded her second career double-double and the first as Bearcat at Florida (12/5), posting 12 points and 13 rebounds. With Western Kentucky during the 2018-19 campaign, Niang tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds against Morgan State. 
• LATE SEASON-OPENER: UC's 73-67 overtime win over Northern Kentucky on Nov. 25 marked UC's latest lid lifter in a season since dropping a 58-49 home decision to Rice on Nov. 25, 1994.  

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN

• Central Michigan has won the last four MAC championships. CMU was picked to win the league again in 2020-21 according to a preseason coaches poll.
• Senior Micaela Kelly is the reigning MAC Player of the Year. Molly Davis and Kyra Bussell were also named to  All-MAC preseason teams. 
• Kelly scored 30 points in CMU's season-opening 93-75 loss to No. 25 Michigan.