Cincinnati Welcomes Purdue Fort Wayne Sunday in WNIT Second Round

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team will host Purdue Fort Wayne in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday inside Fifth Third Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

// TICKETS
Tickets for the WNIT second round are on sale now, click here. Champions Club and loges are $20 per ticket while courtside is $25 per ticket. Lower-level general admission is $15. Students can claim a free digital ticket.
 
// THE RUNDOWN

• Cincinnati is making its 14th postseason appearance and first since its WNIT quarterfinal run in 2019. The Bearcats will be playing in the WNIT for the ninth time and hold a 5-8 all-time record.
• The 2024 WNIT, in its 26th year, will feature 48 teams in a single-elimination championship format. The Bearcats (14-17) received a first-round bye in the tournament. With a victory Sunday, Cincinnati would move on to the Super 16, slated for March 27-29. Date, time and location will be determined following the second round.
• First-year head coach Katrina Merriweather will be leading her third school to the postseason, having done so at previous stops Memphis and Wright State. She has qualified for six postseason tournaments in seven opportunities as bench boss (excluding 2020 with COVID).
• Cincinnati has won 14 games under head coach Katrina Merriweather – its most wins in a single season since the Bearcats won 22 in 2019-20. The Bearcats, who rank No. 92 in the NET, have earned seven wins against top-100 NET teams this season.
• UC overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to take down UCF in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 7. The Bearcats trailed by as many as 10 but used a 29-point third quarter to secure their first tournament win since 2021. It marked the first time Cincinnati overcame a double-digit deficit since Feb. 4, 2023 vs. Tulsa. 
• Cincinnati is led by senior Jillian Hayes, who is the first player in program history to earn All-Big 12 honors. She leads the Big 12 in free throws made (152) and ranks third in offensive rebounding (3.2) and total rebounding (8.4), 11th in free throw percentage (.734), 13th in blocks (0.8) and 19th in scoring (12.8).
• Hayes recorded her 10th double-double of the season vs. UCF (11 points and 12 rebounds). She is the first Bearcat to record back-to-back seasons with 10-or-more double-doubles since Doris Scott did so in 1997-99.   
• In Cincinnati's record books, Hayes ranks third in blocks (126), fourth in free throws made (396), fifth in rebounds (835), eighth in steals (183) and 14th in scoring (1,282).
• Williams sits seventh in the Big 12 in blocks per game (1.1). She has recorded 10 multi-block performances and has led the team in blocks 18 times this season. She surpassed 100 career blocks with two in the win vs. UCF. 
• Cincinnati has totaled 1,233 rebounds in 2023-24 and would need 121 more boards to break the single season program record (1,354). UC sits first in the league and 21st in the country in offensive rebounds per game (14.7). 
• The Bearcats lead the Big 12 and rank 14th nationally in free throws made per game (15.7). Hayes sits in the top-15 nationally in free throws made (14th) and free throws attempted (11th). Her 152 free throws rank third for a single season in UC history.
• Cincinnati is 12-1 when leading at the half, and 12-0 when leading with five minutes remaining. Conversely, the Bearcats are 2-16 when trailing at the break, and 1-17 when trailing with five minutes to go.
• The Bearcats posted 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. The non-conference slate also featured UC's first win over an SEC opponent since 2004.

 
// UP NEXT
With a victory Sunday, Cincinnati would move on to the Super 16, slated for March 27-29. Date, time and location will be determined following the second round.