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Cincinnati Travels to Xavier for Crosstown Shootout Sunday

The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will travel to face rival Xavier on Sunday in the Women's Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Musketeers is set for 1 p.m. at the Cintas Center.

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Cincinnati Travels to Xavier for Crosstown Shootout SundayCincinnati Travels to Xavier for Crosstown Shootout Sunday
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will travel to face rival Xavier on Sunday in the Women's Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Tip-off between the Bearcats and Musketeers is set for 1 p.m. at the Cintas Center.
 
THE RUNDOWNN
  • UC has won three of the last four meetings in the Crosstown Shootout, including a 69-47 victory at home last season. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 27-18, making this rivalry the fourth-longest in UC program history by total meetings.
  • Head coach Katrina Merriweather is undefeated (6-0) in Crosstown Shootout games while at Cincinnati, with four wins as a player, one as a graduate assistant and one as head coach. She is 10-0 against Xavier in her career overall.
  • Cincinnati is coming off its second consecutive win, scoring a season-high 95 points in a 95-52 victory over Western Illinois on Dec. 6. It marked the team's highest scoring output since 2022, when the Bearcats tallied 99 points against Southern Indiana.
  • UC made 31 free throws for the second straight game, shooting 83.8% from the line. The 31 made free throws are the most in the Big 12 for a single game this season and tied for 10th nationally.
  • Sophomore Reagan Jackson erupted for a career-high 29 points vs. Western Illinois. She finished with career bests in field goals made (10-13 FG) and 3-pointers made (5-8). She added four rebounds and three assists.
  • Senior Tineya Hylton scored 20 points, highlighted by a 14-of-17 performance from the free throw line. The 14 made free throws tied the Fifth Third Arena record and lead the Big 12 for the most in a single game this season.
  • Hylton has set and matched her career high in scoring (20) in four of the first eight games. She has six double-digit scoring performances and has led the team in the category three times this season.
  • Hylton is averaging 14.8 points, while also ranking sixth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.833), seventh in steals (2.3) and 14th in assists (4.1). Against Western Illinois, she posted season highs in rebounds (6), assists (7) and steals (5). She has led the team in assists in seven games and steals in five this season. 
  • Fifth year forward Jillian Hayes is averaging nearly a double-double with 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 41.9% from the field. Her five double-doubles in eight games rank second in the Big 12 and 14th nationally.
  • Hayes has reached the 20-point mark in four games this season, setting a new career high for 20-point games in a single season.
  • Nationally, Hayes ranks 31st in scoring, 21st in free throws made and 34th in rebounding.
  • Defensively, Cincinnati has forced 48 turnovers in the last two games. UC leads the Big 12 in fewest turnovers per game (11.4) and ranks second in turnover margin (+8.6). The Bearcats have forced 20 or more turnovers in five games and are 5-0 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponents.
  • Redshirt junior Alliance Ndiba ranks 10th in the conference in blocking (1.3) and 11th in rebounding (6.9). She has led the team in rebounds twice and blocking four times.
  • Among active career leaders in Division I, Hayes is third in FT made (451), 17th in rebounds (922) and 29th in doubles-doubles (28).
  • Cincinnati leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, shooting 79.3% from the charity stripe. The Bearcats are 6-1 when outshooting opponents at the line. UC is averaging 18 free throw attempts per game, leading the Big 12 and ranking seventh nationally. Hayes paces the team with eight attempts per game.
  • The team's turnover margin highlights a key trend: 8.3 turnovers per game in wins, but 20.5 turnovers per game in losses.
  • Head coach Katrina Merriweather recently signed a historic 2025 recruiting class, ranked No. 7 nationally by ASGR Hoops—the highest in program history.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
  • Hayes is 10 blocks away from becoming UC's career blocked shots leader.
  • Hayes recently surpassed 900 career rebounds, becoming just the third player in program history to reach the milestone. She is 55 rebounds away from moving into second on Cincinnati's all-time career rebounds list with 977.
  • Hayes is 53 free throws away from becoming UC's career free throws made leader. She is also six games away from becoming UC's leader in games played.