TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's basketball team wraps up its desert road trip with a Saturday matchup against Arizona State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET in Tempe.
THE RUNDOWN
THE RUNDOWN
- Cincinnati nearly completed the comeback against Arizona, clawing back from a 16-point deficit to within two with 7:08 left. However, a late run from the Wildcats secured the 72-62 result.
- Junior guard A'riel Jackson is set to face her mother's alma mater, Arizona State. Her mom, Kym Hampton, was the No. 4 pick in the inaugural 1997 WNBA Draft and enjoyed a 15-year pro career.
- Tineya Hylton (25 points) and Jillian Hayes (20 points) combined for 45 of Cincinnati's 62 points. The pair has led UC in scoring 15 times this season, each recording six 20-point games.
- Coming off a career-high 27 points vs. Colorado, Hylton added a game-high 25 vs. Arizona. She's averaging 23.0 points on 50% shooting over her last three games.
- With 20 points and 13 rebounds, Hayes logged her eighth double-double this season and eclipsed 1,000 career rebounds — making her just the second player in program history to do so. She's one of 15 active Division I players with 1,000+ career rebounds.
- The Bearcats lead the Big 12 and rank fourth nationally in made free throws per game (17.5). They're 11-3 when making more free throws than their opponents.
- Hylton is a do-it-all playmaker for the Bearcats, leading the team in assists (3.0 APG) and steals (2.2 SPG) while ranking second in scoring (13.7 PPG). She has paced UC in scoring seven times and in assists or steals in 21 games combined.
- Hayes is averaging nearly a double-double with 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% from the field this season. Her eight double-doubles rank second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally. She also sits second in the league in rebounding and 11th in scoring.
- Freshman Chloe Mann is shooting 41.7% from deep and averaging 11.0 points over her last three games. She's top 10 in the Big 12 for free throw percentage (.814).
- Ndiba ranks ninth in the Big 12 in both blocks (1.4 BPG) and eighth in rebounds (7.3 RPG). She recorded career highs in rebounds (12), offensive boards (9) and blocks (4) in UC's win over Colorado.
- The Bearcats have logged three double-digit comeback wins this season, including their latest against Colorado on Jan. 18. They're 9-1 this season and 17-2 under Coach Merriweather when holding opponents to 59 points or fewer.
- UC leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds per game (14.1) during conference play and ranks second overall.
- Cincinnati won the turnover battle for the 11th time this season (+7 vs. Arizona) but dropped to 9-2 when committing fewer turnovers. UC forces 19.4 turnovers per game, ranking 3rd in the Big 12, with a +6.7 turnover margin (2nd in the Big 12, 23rd nationally).
- Among active career Division I leaders, Hayes ranks first in FT attempts (710), third in FTs made (496), 14th in rebounds (1,004) and 28th in double-doubles (31).
- The Bearcats secured their best non-conference winning percentage (.800, 8-2) since the 2005-06 season (.909, 10-1).
- Cincinnati is ranked 70th nationally in the Jan. 23 NET.
- Be UC's fourth Big 12 win