WBB Preview: Memphis at Cincinnati

On Saturday Feb. 18, the Cincinnati Bearcats’ women’s basketball team will return home to Fifth Third Arena following a two-game road swing. At 3 p.m., they face the Memphis Tigers in a game that will be televised online on ESPN3. Cincinnati split its recent pair of road games, pulling out a close win at Houston before losing decisively in New Orleans against Tulane.

Cincinnati is 15-10 overall and 6-6 in the American. The Bearcats are sputtering offensively, shooting below 35 percent in each of their last two games.

Memphis enters the game with a 13-12 overall record and a 6-6 mark in conference play. Tigers coach Melissa McFerrin, who is in her ninth year at Memphis, guides a club that seems to rise or fall to the level of its competition. On Feb. 5, the Tigers knocked off a nationally ranked USF team, 62-57. Earlier in the season, though, the Tigers lost to the likes of Samford and Southern Illinois.

On Jan. 14, UC scored a key road win at Memphis, beating the Tigers 66-59 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Shanice Johnson netted 22 points for the Bearcats while Chelsea Warren added 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

Junior guard Brea Elmore led the way for Memphis in that matchup with Cincinnati, posting 16 points. The Stone Mountain, Georgia native is a slick and speedy scorer who averages 13.4 points per game while leading the team in steals and assists. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Cheyenne Creighton, is a Pickering, Ontario native who averages 14.4 points per game. Long and athletic, she presents a serious challenge for the smallish Bearcats squad.

Please come out to Fifth Third Arena to support your Bearcats on Saturday. They need your help down the stretch.