Women’s Basketball Preview: Austin Peay

The Cincinnati Bearcats women’s basketball team will host the Austin Peay Governors at the newly renovated Fifth Third Arena on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

The game will be the Bearcats’ regular season debut. For those who can’t glory in the gleaming amenities of Fifth Third Arena, the game will be televised on Bearcats TV on GoBearcats.com, the official Cincinnati athletics website.

In new head coach Michelle Clark-Heard’s first outing with the Bearcats, Cincinnati squares off with a sturdy Ohio Valley Conference foe that finished the 2017-2018 season with a 16-14 mark.

Second year coach David Midlick’s team is led by Cincinnati native Arielle Gonzalez-Varner, an offensive-minded junior forward, and Maggie Knowles, a sharpshooting freshman guard who turned heads with her scoring prowess in Austin Peay’s preseason exhibitions.

Cincinnati will have to win the boards to come away with a win in this contest. Austin Peay is too explosive a scoring team to give many second chances. Look for Ilmar’i Thomas, Cincinnati’s sophomore forward and veritable double-double machine, to be a key to victory on Tuesday night.

Check back with Down the Drive after the game for a full recap.