TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati women's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season when it travels to face UMES on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. in Princess Anne, Md.
THE RUNDOWN
- Cincinnati is 2-1 on the season after opening the year with wins over East Texas A&M (66-58) and Penn State (76-53) before dropping a 67-56 decision to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday.
- Saint Joseph's outscored Cincinnati 28-11 in the second quarter, but the Bearcats cut the deficit to three in the final five minutes before the Hawks closed the game with a 14-4 run.
- Sophomore Caliyah DeVillasee led the Bearcats in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with a season-high 18 points. She has scored in double figures in all three games this season.
- Sophomore Naomi Benson recorded her first career double-double with career highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds. It marked Cincinnati’s first double-double since February 10, 2026.
- Benson grabbed six offensive boards and helped Cincinnati own a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points. Benson leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game.
- DeVillasee is averaging 15.7 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. She has recorded 26 double-figure scoring performances and led the Bearcats in scoring 11 times in her career.
- Senior Sahnya Jah finished with 12 points and six rebounds against the Hawks. She is averaging 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 steals per game this season. 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.
- The Bearcats are 24-2 when holding opponents to 59 points or fewer under head coach Katrina Merriweather.
- 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).
MILESTON WATCH
- Head coach Katrina Merriweather is seven wins away from 200 in her career
- Senior Reagan Jackson is five games away from 100 in her career