TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team continues its season-opening two-game homestand when the Bearcats host Lindenwood for Education Day on Wednesday inside Fifth Third Arena. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Lions is scheduled for 11 a.m. on ESPN+ and WSAI 1360.
// THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati is coming off a 77-59 loss to then-ranked No. 17 Louisville in its season opener on Nov. 6 in Fifth Third Arena. UC could not overcome a big second quarter from Louisville as the Cardinals outscored the Bearcats 22-7 in the period.
Senior Jillian Hayes led the Bearcats with a game-high 20 points and team-high nine boards. She finished 7-of-9 from the field, 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Graduate student Mya Jackson added 10 points for her 55th career game in double-figure scoring. Junior Braylyn Milton dished out a game-high five assists. She led the team in assists in 10 games last season, including seven conference contests.
Transfers Destiny Thomas, Aïcha Dia and Nia Clark all made their Cincinnati debuts in the contest. Thomas, who made her first UC start, recorded five points and two rebounds while Dia grabbed three boards. In addition, freshmen Brianna Byars, Reagan Jackson, Abby Holtman and Delaney Snyder made their collegiate debuts.
// PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Senior Jillian Hayes scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting against then-ranked No. 17 Louisville. It marked her eighth career game with 20-plus points. She was a rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine boards. She was one of 14 Big 12 players to turn in a 20-plus point performance during the opening week.
In addition, she made her 79th consecutive start in the season opener. She made her first career start against East Carolina on Dec. 20, 2020. She was the only Bearcat to start every game last season.
// MILESTONE WATCH
Senior Jillian Hayes is 94 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is looking to become the 29th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.
Hayes currently ranks fourth all-time at UC in career blocks with 102. She is 15 blocks away from a third-place tie with Anita Tersigni (1981-84) with 117. Hayes is also chasing top-10 marks in rebounds and free throws made. With 584 career boards, she is 90 away from a 10th-place tie with Joy Roberts (1980-83) with 674. She has made 249 free throws and needs 44 more to crack inton UC's all-time top-10 list for the category.
Senior Malea Williams ranks ninth all-time at UC in blocks with 67 in three seasons with the Bearcats. She has 69 total blocks in her career after recording two blocks during her freshman season at Louisville.
// NEW ERA(S) BEGIN - MERRIWEATHER, BIG 12, JORDAN
Head coach Katrina Merriweather was hired as the 10th women's basketball head coach at Cincinnati, her alma mater, on March 25, 2023.
A four-year letterwinner for Hall of Fame head coach Laurie Pirtle from 1997-01, Merriweather was the program's first women's basketball player to make four consecutive postseason tournaments and posted an 83-41 record as a player. Additionally, she helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win as a graduate assistant in 2001-02.
Merriweather returns to her alma mater with a 151-70 overall record in seven seasons as the head coach of Memphis (38-23) and Wright State (113-47). Most recently, Merriweather led Memphis to a 22-11 season in 2022-23, the program's first 20-win season since 2012-13, and an appearance in the WNIT Sweet 16.
Merriweather spent five seasons at Wright State, where she led the Raiders to a 113-47 record, four postseason berths (2 NCAA, 2 WNIT) and was named Horizon League Coach of the Year three times. She led Wright State to the program's third appearance and first NCAA Tournament win with an upset over four-seed Arkansas in 2021.
Cincinnati was one of four programs to become a member of the Big 12 on July 1. The Bearcats will also be a Jordan Brand program for the first time.
// A LOT OF RETURNING PRODUCTION
Cincinnati returns seven players from 2022-23. All seven averaged double-digit minutes and played in at least 25 of 30 games last season. The Bearcats return six of their top seven scorers from last season, including double-digit scorers in Jillian Hayes (12.8) and Mya Jackson (11.0).
In terms of returning percentages from 2022-23, Cincinnati returns 75.5 percent of its points (1354/1794), 77.7 percent of its rebounds (749/966), 82.3 percent of its assists (293/356) and 72.6 percent of minutes played (4412/6075). The seven returners combine for 441 career games played and 245 starts. Five of the seven returners started double-digit games in 2022-23.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati hits the road for the first time in 2023-24, traveling to Toledo on Sunday, Nov. 19. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Savage Arena.
// THE RUNDOWN
Cincinnati is coming off a 77-59 loss to then-ranked No. 17 Louisville in its season opener on Nov. 6 in Fifth Third Arena. UC could not overcome a big second quarter from Louisville as the Cardinals outscored the Bearcats 22-7 in the period.
Senior Jillian Hayes led the Bearcats with a game-high 20 points and team-high nine boards. She finished 7-of-9 from the field, 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Graduate student Mya Jackson added 10 points for her 55th career game in double-figure scoring. Junior Braylyn Milton dished out a game-high five assists. She led the team in assists in 10 games last season, including seven conference contests.
Transfers Destiny Thomas, Aïcha Dia and Nia Clark all made their Cincinnati debuts in the contest. Thomas, who made her first UC start, recorded five points and two rebounds while Dia grabbed three boards. In addition, freshmen Brianna Byars, Reagan Jackson, Abby Holtman and Delaney Snyder made their collegiate debuts.
// PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Senior Jillian Hayes scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting against then-ranked No. 17 Louisville. It marked her eighth career game with 20-plus points. She was a rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine boards. She was one of 14 Big 12 players to turn in a 20-plus point performance during the opening week.
In addition, she made her 79th consecutive start in the season opener. She made her first career start against East Carolina on Dec. 20, 2020. She was the only Bearcat to start every game last season.
// MILESTONE WATCH
Senior Jillian Hayes is 94 points away from 1,000 in her career. She is looking to become the 29th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.
Hayes currently ranks fourth all-time at UC in career blocks with 102. She is 15 blocks away from a third-place tie with Anita Tersigni (1981-84) with 117. Hayes is also chasing top-10 marks in rebounds and free throws made. With 584 career boards, she is 90 away from a 10th-place tie with Joy Roberts (1980-83) with 674. She has made 249 free throws and needs 44 more to crack inton UC's all-time top-10 list for the category.
Senior Malea Williams ranks ninth all-time at UC in blocks with 67 in three seasons with the Bearcats. She has 69 total blocks in her career after recording two blocks during her freshman season at Louisville.
// NEW ERA(S) BEGIN - MERRIWEATHER, BIG 12, JORDAN
Head coach Katrina Merriweather was hired as the 10th women's basketball head coach at Cincinnati, her alma mater, on March 25, 2023.
A four-year letterwinner for Hall of Fame head coach Laurie Pirtle from 1997-01, Merriweather was the program's first women's basketball player to make four consecutive postseason tournaments and posted an 83-41 record as a player. Additionally, she helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win as a graduate assistant in 2001-02.
Merriweather returns to her alma mater with a 151-70 overall record in seven seasons as the head coach of Memphis (38-23) and Wright State (113-47). Most recently, Merriweather led Memphis to a 22-11 season in 2022-23, the program's first 20-win season since 2012-13, and an appearance in the WNIT Sweet 16.
Merriweather spent five seasons at Wright State, where she led the Raiders to a 113-47 record, four postseason berths (2 NCAA, 2 WNIT) and was named Horizon League Coach of the Year three times. She led Wright State to the program's third appearance and first NCAA Tournament win with an upset over four-seed Arkansas in 2021.
Cincinnati was one of four programs to become a member of the Big 12 on July 1. The Bearcats will also be a Jordan Brand program for the first time.
// A LOT OF RETURNING PRODUCTION
Cincinnati returns seven players from 2022-23. All seven averaged double-digit minutes and played in at least 25 of 30 games last season. The Bearcats return six of their top seven scorers from last season, including double-digit scorers in Jillian Hayes (12.8) and Mya Jackson (11.0).
In terms of returning percentages from 2022-23, Cincinnati returns 75.5 percent of its points (1354/1794), 77.7 percent of its rebounds (749/966), 82.3 percent of its assists (293/356) and 72.6 percent of minutes played (4412/6075). The seven returners combine for 441 career games played and 245 starts. Five of the seven returners started double-digit games in 2022-23.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati hits the road for the first time in 2023-24, traveling to Toledo on Sunday, Nov. 19. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Savage Arena.