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Bearcats Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday vs. Saint Joseph's

The Cincinnati women’s basketball team wraps up its season-opening homestand Wednesday against Saint Joseph’s. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Fifth Third Arena.

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Bearcats Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday vs. Saint Joseph'sBearcats Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday vs. Saint Joseph's

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati women’s basketball team wraps up its season-opening homestand Wednesday against Saint Joseph’s. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Fifth Third Arena.

THE RUNDOWN

  • Cincinnati is off to a 2-0 start with wins over East Texas A&M (66-58) and Penn State (76-53). The Bearcats are 24-2 under Merriweather when holding opponents to 59 points or fewer.
  • The Bearcats were led by their sophomore class against the Lady Lions, with the group combining for 51 points. Four sophomores reached double figures: Caliyah DeVillasee (13), Dee Alexander (12), Joya Crawford (12) and Jade Jones (10).
  • Alexander and Crawford each set career highs against Penn State. Alexander scored a career-best 12 points on 60% shooting, while Crawford went a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Fellow sophomore Naomi Benson pulled down a career-best eight boards.
  • Cincinnati's bench accounted for 41 points against Penn State, its highest scoring output from non-starters since Dec. 18, 2022, when the bench scored 47 points in a 99-57 win over Southern Indiana.
  • The Bearcats earned their first win over a Big Ten opponent since March 24, 2019, when they defeated Minnesota, 72-65, in the second round of the WNIT. The Big 12 is a combined 3-0 against ACC and Big Ten opponents this season.
  • DeVillasee led Cincinnati with 14.5 points per game while shooting 50% from the field through the opening two contests. She added 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while committing just one turnover. She has recorded 25 double-figure scoring performances and led the Bearcats in scoring 10 times in her career.
  • Senior Sahnya Jah averaged 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.5 steals during the opening week. Against East Texas A&M, she became the first Big 12 player since Nov. 16, 2022 to record at least 12 points, four blocks, four steals and three assists in a game.
  • Wednesday's game marks the second meeting between Cincinnati and Saint Joseph’s. The Bearcats fell to the Hawks, 70-65, last season at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia.
  • Six of Cincinnati's non-conference opponents this season also appeared on last year's schedule, with the Bearcats going 1-5 against those teams. Cincinnati has already avenged one of those losses with a 73-56 victory over Penn State.
  • Cincinnati has established itself as one of the Big 12's top rebounding teams since Merriweather took over the program. The Bearcats have ranked in the league's top two in offensive rebounds per game in each of the last three seasons, including a league-best 14.7 in 2025-26.
  • Cincinnati also finished fourth in the Big 12 in total rebounds per game last season (39.77), while its +5.3 rebounding margin was the fifth-best single-season mark in program history.
  • The Bearcats have also consistently found success at the free throw line, ranking among the Big 12's top three in free throws made per game in each of the last three seasons. Cincinnati averaged 14.6 per game in 2025-26 (third in the Big 12), 16.8 in 2024-25 (first) and 15.9 in 2023-24 (first).

A WIN WOULD… 

  • Give Cincinnati a 3-0 start for the second time in the last three seasons

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