Cincinnati Begins Road Swing at #24 West Virginia Wednesday

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in Big 12 action, traveling to No. 24-ranked West Virginia on Wednesday. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Mountaineers is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET in Morgantown, W.Va.
 
// THE RUNDOWN

• Cincinnati's (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) six-game win streak came to an end after a 66-41 loss to 11th-ranked Kansas State on Saturday in its Big 12 opener. The Bearcats held the Wildcats to their lowest point total in the first quarter (11) but could not overcome a season-low 20% shooting performance.
• Senior Jillian Hayes finished with a team-high 14 points vs. K-State – her seventh time leading the team in scoring this season. She pulled down a game-high nine boards and made six free throws to crack into UC's all-time top-10 lists for the two categories.
• Hayes is averaging nearly a double-double with 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and is shooting 51.6% from the field this season. She sits sixth in the Big 12 and 74th nationally in rebounds per game (8.5).
• Senior Malea Williams is averaging 9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks and is shooting 43.3% from the field and 39.4% from 3 this season. She sits 10th in the Big 12 in blocks (1.00) and 14th in rebounding (6.8).
• Five Bearcats have missed at least one game this season due to injury. The Bearcats were without three of their starters in their Big 12 opener vs. Kansas State.
• The Bearcats are 7-1 when they outrebound their opponent. UC sits 21st in the country in offensive rebounds per game (15.8). The Bearcats won the rebounding battle against one of the nation's top rebounding teams in K-State (38-36).
• Cincinnati has made 275 trips to the free throw line this season, making 204 of its attempts (.742). The free throw percentage is good for fourth in the league and 84th in the country.
• The Bearcats sit first in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in free throws made per game (17.0). UC is 8-2 when it makes more free throws than its opponent.
• Hayes is getting to the free throw line at a high rate, making the third-most foul shots in the Big 12 (53-64 FT). She sits seventh in the league in free throw percentage (.828).
• UC ranks 18th in the nation in three-point field goal defense, holding its opponents to 24.7% from behind the arc.
• Cincinnati has won four games by 21 points or more. The Bearcats earned their largest margin of victory vs. Howard on Dec. 13 (+25). The four wins by 21 points or more are the most in a single season since the Bearcats had seven in 2019-20.
• The Bearcats finished non-conference play with an 8-3 record for their best non-conference winning percentage (72.7%) in 15 years. UC won six consecutive games during the stretch for its longest win streak since 2019-20.
• All four of the Bearcats' losses have come to top-25 programs – #17 Louisville, #3 Colorado, #10 NC State and #11 Kansas State (ranking at time of game). 
• The Bearcats' 18-game conference slate features nine home contests inside Fifth Third Arena and eight game versus teams that advanced to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Cincinnati will face Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech for the first time in program history.

 
// A WIN WOULD...

• Give Cincinnati its first-ever Big 12 win
• Keep Cincinnati unbeaten on the road
• Give Cincinnati its first ranked win since 2011
• Be Katrina Merriweather's 160th career win

 
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati remains on the road with a Saturday matchup at Oklahoma. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET in Norman, Okla.