Women's Basketball Opens AAC Play with East Carolina

EAST CAROLINA (3-3, 1-0 AAC)
at CINCINNATI (1-3, 0-0 AAC)
Sunday, Dec. 20 // Noon ET
Fifth Third Arena // Cincinnati, Ohio
SERIES INFO: 18th meeting; East Carolina leads 9-8 overall; UC leads 5-3 in Cincinnati;  
East Carolina leads 5-3 in Greenville, N.C.; East Carolina leads 1-0 at neutral sites
LAST MEETING: Cincinnati won 76-53 on Mar. 2, 2020 at Fifth Third Arena
STREAK: Cincinnati - 2
COACHES: Michelle Clark-Heard is in her third season at Cincinnati (47-24); 11th season overall (225-104)
Kim McNeil is in her second season at East Carolina (12-24); fifth season overall (71-62)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 14): Cincinnati (--/--); East Carolina (--/--)
TV: ESPN+; Matt Noonan and Betsy Ross
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM): @GoBearcatsWBB or GoBearcatsWBB

GAME PREVIEW 

• Cincinnati (1-3) tips off American Athletic Conference play on Sunday when it plays host to East Carolina (3-3, 1-0 AAC). Start time is noon ET on ESPN+. 
• The game was originally schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m. In order for the game to be played in the safest environment possible, additional COVID-19 contact tracing was implemented in Greenville, North Carolina, prior to the contest that altered the originally scheduled start time according to the AAC. 
• The Bearcats haven't played since dropping a 79-62 decision at Central Michigan last Saturday. IImar'I Thomas poured in 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field with eight rebounds. Arame Niang and Jillian Hayes added eight points each. 
• UC's game with Houston, scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed due COVID-19 issues within the Houston program.
• ECU claimed a 50-46 win at SMU on Wednesday in its conference opener. Tiara Chambers (14 points, nine rebounds and four blocks) and Lashonda Monk (13 points, six steals and five assists) led the effort for the Pirates. 
• ECU holds a slight 9-8 lead in the series with Cincinnati. The Bearcats earned a 76-53 home win over the Pirates on Mar. 2, 2020, the only meeting last season. 
• UP NEXT: Cincinnati welcomes No. 23 USF to Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The game will be available on ESPN+. 

CINCINNATI STORYLINES

• The AAC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, senior forward IImar'I Thomas enters the week tied for third in the nation, averaging 28.5 points. She also ranks 30th in the NCAA, shooting 65.7 percent from the field. 
• She was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after scoring 32 points against Marquette and 25 points at Central Michigan last week. 
• 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. 

TOUTING IIMAR'I THOMAS

• 2020-21 HONORS: 2020-21: Co-Preseason Player of the Year ... 2020-21: Unanimous Preseason First Team All-AAC ... AAC Player of the Week (Nov. 30) ... NCAA Weekly Starting Five (Nov. 30) ... AAC Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 14)
• CAREER AWARDS:  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
• NATIONAL NUMBERS: Entering the week, Thomas ranks nationally in points (T3rd at 28.5), field goals made (T8th at 44) and field goal percentage (25th at .657).  
• AAC NUMBERS: Thomas entered action Monday ranked among the AAC leaders in scoring (1st at 28.5), field goal percentage (1st at .657), minutes played (1st at 39.0), free throw percentage (3rd at .862), offensive rebounds (T6th at 3.0), rebounds (8th at 7.0) and assists (T12th at 3.0).
• 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 71 times in her career, including in 56 of the last 66 contests. She has scored 20 or more points 23 times as a Bearcat, including all four 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. 

CHART CHASER

• The name IImar'I Thomas is peppered throughout the UC record book and her climb up the charts will be a storyline during the 2020-21 campaign.
• Thomas enters the five game of the season ranked among UC's best in multiple categories: field goal percentage (1st at .602), blocks (3rd at 104), rebounds (T5th at 722), rebound average (9th at 7.0) and points (9th at 1,470). 

BEARCATS TIP-INS

• 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.
• Niang ranks second on the team, averaging 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.  
• MOORE STEALS: Addaya Moore ranks tied for fourth in the AAC with 2.5 steals entering the week. She swiped four steals each against Northern Kentucky (11/25) and Marquette (12/10). 
• HAYES & SCOTT BLOCK PARTY: Jillian Hayes (T4th at 1.5) and Jadyn Scott (T10th at 1.0) rank among AAC leaders in blocks entering the week. 
• 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).

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA

• Three Pirates enter Saturday's game averaging double figures: Lashonda Monk (12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals), Sierra DeCosta (10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds) and Taniyah Thompson (10.3 points, 1.3 3-pointers per game). 
• ECU leads the AAC in steals with 13.8 per game. Dominique Claytor (1st at 3.0) and Synia Johnson (11th at 1.8) rank among league leaders in the category. 
• Monk was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-AAC accolades a year ago. She ranked third in the NCAA in both steals (121) and steals per game (4.17).