University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
Cincinnati
Tigers Women's Basketball To Face Cincinnati Thursday
Jan 06, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Memphis looks for third-straight win in the 2016 New Year.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – If one of the University of Memphis women's basketball team's New Year's resolutions was to shoot a better percentage from the floor, then the Tigers are following through on that early on. And, Memphis hopes to carry its hot shooting hand that into Thursday's game at Cincinnati. Game time is 6 p.m. (CT) from Fifth Third Arena.
Two games into the 2016 New Year – and by the way, both victories – Memphis is shooting 53 percent from the field (62-of-117). The Tigers opened the New Year with an 83-67 win over Tulane Jan. 3 and shot 50.8 percent against the Green Wave. Memphis then followed that performance with a 74-57 victory over Houston Jan. 5 and hit a season-high 55.6 percent from the floor.
The major reason for the high percentage against the Cougars was the hot shooting from seniors Ariel Hearn and Brianna Wright. The tandem combined to hit 16-of-20 field goals (Hearn 9-of-10; Wright 7-of-10) for an 80 percentage clip from the field.
Another reason is the recent play of redshirt junior Mooriah Rowser and sophomore Cheyenne Creighton. In the three games prior to Jan. 5, Rowser was averaging 17.3 points on 53.5 percent shooting from the floor (23-of-43). If the Jan. 5 game is included (4 points on 2-of-3 FG), Rowser still is averaging 14.0 points and is shooting 54.3 percent from the field.
Creighton began her hot shooting performances at the end of 2015 and has carried it over into the early portion of 2016. In the last three games (all in conference play), the 6-foot-1 forward is shooting 77.8 percent from the field (14-of-18). For the season, Creighton is hitting a team-high 57.5 percent from the floor and is ranked third in field goal percentage in the American Athletic Conference.
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Tigers Tidbits • Five Memphis Notes to Know
• Thursday's game at Cincinnati is the Tigers' third of four contests this week. Memphis began the week with an 83-67 win over Tulane Jan. 3 and followed with a 74-57 victory over Houston Jan. 5. After Thursday's game at Cincinnati Thursday, Memphis wraps up the week with a 1 p.m. (CT) match-up with Tulsa at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sunday, Jan. 10.
• Memphis holds a commanding 33-14 series lead against Cincinnati. The Tigers have won the last three meetings, including last season's two encounters. Memphis won 56-44 at Cincinnati last year. The Tigers hold an 11-8 series advantage in games played in Cincinnati.
• Thursday's game is going to be a family affair for two coaches on separate benches. Memphis first-year associate head coach Darryl Brown and Cincinnati's fourth-year assistant coach Tasha (McDowell) Brown are husband and wife. The couple married in August of 2015.
• Senior Ariel Hearn enters Thursday's game at Cincinnati two points shy of the 1,700-point milestone. Hearn has 1,698 career points. She also has 360 assists, making her the only player in the program's history to have 1,500 points and 350 assists. The Memphis, Tenn., native also is one of three players in University of Memphis history – both men's and women's programs combined – to have 1,500 points and 350 assists. The other two are Elliot Perry and Joe Jackson, both of whom also are Memphis natives.
• On Thursday, Memphis will look to remain perfect in the New Year. So far in 2016, Memphis is 2-0 after wins over Tulane Jan. 3 and Houston Jan. 5. In the Melissa McFerrin era, the Tigers have had three previous 2-0 New Year's starts, but all three were followed with a loss. The last time Memphis had a longer New Year's winning streak was the 1997-98 season in which the Tigers began the 1998 portion of their schedule with 10-straight victories.
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Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats bring a 5-8 overall record and a 1-1 league mark into Thursday's American Athletic Conference encounter. Cincinnati posted a win in its last outing, a 68-50 win at UCF Jan. 2. The Bearcats have a 4-3 record at Fifth Third Arena in 2015-16. Cincinnati's last home win was a 70-57 victory over Eastern Illinois Dec. 20.
The Bearcats return three starters and six letterwinners from their 2014-15 team. Sophomore Ana Owens leads three Bearcats averaging double figures at 14.3 ppg. Jasmine Whitfield (13.4 ppg) and Alyesha Lovett (11.1 ppg) also average double digits. Whitfield (6.4 rpg) and Lovett (5.8 rpg) are the squad's top-two leading rebounders. Owens is tops on the team in assists (43 total; 3.3 apg), and Lovett is the team's steals leader (28 total; 2.2 spg). Owens is Cincinnati's top three-point threat, hitting 34.8 percent from the arc.
Cincinnati is shooting 34.4 percent from the floor, 28.9 percent from the three-point arc and 66 percent from the free throw line. Opponents are out-rebounding the Bearcats by an average margin of +6.9 boards per game (36.9-43.8).
