Sport

Cincinnati Hosts Penn State Saturday

The Cincinnati women’s basketball team hosts Penn State at 2 p.m. on Saturday inside Fifth Third Arena.

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Cincinnati Hosts Penn State SaturdayCincinnati Hosts Penn State Saturday

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati women’s basketball team hosts Penn State at 2 p.m. on Saturday inside Fifth Third Arena.

THE RUNDOWN

  • Cincinnati opened its season with a 66-58 victory over East Texas A&M on Wednesday night in Fifth Third Arena. Caliyah DeVillasee gave Cincinnati the lead with a fastbreak layup at the 8:08 mark of the first quarter, and the Bearcats led the rest of the way to secure the season-opening win.
  • Jade Jones, Sahnya Jah, Amber Bullard and Naomi Benson made their Cincinnati debuts, while Jaidyn Gunter and Marta Fernandez had their first collegiate appearances.
  • Sophomore point guard Caliyah DeVillasee led the Bearcats with 16 points on 50% shooting (6-12 FG). It marked her 24th game in double figures and ninth time leading the team in scoring.
  • Senior transfer Sahnya Jah provided an all-around performance in her Bearcat debut, posting 12 points, four blocks (a career high), four steals and three assists. She is the first Bearcat to record that stat line dating to the 1999 season and the first Big 12 player to do so since Nov. 16, 2022.
  • Senior transfer Amber Bullard nearly recorded a double-double in her UC debut with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor.
  • Cincinnati finished the 2025-26 season with an 11-20 overall record and a 6-12 mark in Big 12 play. The Bearcats return seven letterwinners, including five members of their nationally ranked 2025 recruiting class.
  • Cincinnati added eight newcomers to the 2026-27 roster. The class includes freshmen Zou Garba and Jaidyn Gunter, international guard Marta Fernandez, and transfers Yar Tong, Naomi Benson, Sahnya Jah, Jade Jones and Amber Bullard.
  • Senior Reagan Jackson returns for her fourth season in the Red & Black. A three-year starter, she has appeared in 93 career games and is 163 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
  • Katrina Merriweather is in her fourth season as head coach at her alma mater and 11th overall as a bench boss. She owns a 192-122 career record and has led three programs to six postseason appearances.
  • 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).
  • Saturday's game will mark the second meeting between Cincinnati and Penn State. The Bearcats fell to the Lady Lions, 82-77, last season inside Rec Hall in University Park. In a back-and-forth contest, Penn State used a late 13-2 run to secure the victory.
  • Cincinnati is seeking its first win over a Big Ten opponent since March 24, 2019, when the Bearcats defeated Minnesota, 72-65, in the second round of the WNIT.