UC maintains lead in win over Winthrop

By Hunter Tickel | The News Record

Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates came off the bench to score 16 points, after getting shutout against Lipscomb last week.

UC defeated the Winthrop Eagles 74-57 Tuesday, Dec. 22, at Fifth Third Arena maintaining its perfect 6-0 record at home.

Sophomore forward Yancy Gates led all halftime scorers with 14 points going 6 of 8 from the field. Gates had a disappointing outing the previous game playing only four minutes.

Photos: UC vs. Winthrop - 12.22.09

“Just getting ready for the Big East,” Gates said on his play before 7,292 at Fifth Third Arena. “I came out trying to get touches and play an all-around game.”

UC’s first possession was a turnover, the first of seven in the first half. Junior forward Ibrahima Thomas was aggressive early, scoring five points in the first three minutes and taking a charge on defense.

“The more games I play the more I will get into it,” Thomas said. “I wanted to go to a school where the system fitted my game.”

The Eagles led 4-3 before UC gained the lead, and did not trail for the rest of the game.

The Bearcats have trailed after five minutes in both of their two previous games, but they led 21-11 after five in this one.

A Gates dunk late in the half gave the Bearcats their largest lead of the half at 32-15.

Senior guard Deonta Vaughn played 10 first half minutes, and did not attempt a shot. The halftime score was 39-23.

A 3-pointer by Thomas extended the Bearcats’ lead to 44-25 in the second half. The Eagles cut the lead to single digits at 54-45 half way through the second half.

UC was unable to ice the game until Vaughn caught fire with five minutes remaining with back to back 3-pointers and two free throws. It was only Vaughn’s second and third field goal of the game.

“In the first half we executed our offense as good as we have all year, played really well, and then went on vacation in the second half,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.

Vaughn passed Steve Logan for fourth on the career 3-point field goals made list. He also became tied for 10th on the career-scoring list with 1,584 points.

“Well he [Vaughn] has worked hard at it [shooting],” Cronin said. “What I liked about the first half was he didn’t shoot the ball at all because he wasn’t open. He was 3-4 tonight, the one he missed he was off balance.”

The Eagles came into Tuesday’s game only averaging 59.4 points per game, shooting 36 percent from the field. The stingy UC defense held Winthrop to 37 percent shooting for the game, and disrupted the flow of the Eagles offense with the constant full-court press.

The Bearcats largest lead of the game was 72-50 with two minutes remaining in the game.

Gates led the Bearcats with 16 points and had seven rebounds. Vaughn and Thomas were the only other Bearcats in double figures with 11 points each.

“We lacked energy and focus in the second half,” Cronin said. “I was pleased with Gates effort but displeased that we didn’t get him the ball enough in the second half.”

UC came into the game ranked 18th in the nation in rebounding with plus-8.6 per game, and continued that success with a 12-rebound advantage over the Eagles.

The Bearcats have eight days to prepare for the conference opener at home against No. 11 Connecticut Wednesday, Dec. 30.

Roudebush's hot shooting leads Cats to win

By Hunter Tickel | The News Record

Published: Monday, December 21, 2009

The Bearcats won their second-straight game with a crucial 11-0 run late in the second half.

The University of Cincinnati defeated Valparaiso 62-50 Monday, Dec. 21, at Fifth Third Arena. Senior guard Kahla Roudebush led the Bearcats with 22 points and nine rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point land, while junior guard Carla Jacobs contributed 17 points.

UC (6-5) had a positive start to the game, scoring on the first two possessions for a 4-0 lead that ended up being the Bearcats largest lead of the half. Valparaiso (3-6) led by as many as five points with 3:54 remaining in the half.

Photos: UC vs. Valparaiso - 12.21.09

Jacobs caught fire early in the first half, scoring eight points in the first 11 minutes, including two 3-point buckets.

Junior forward Ashley Varner for the Crusaders led all scorers in the first half with 16 points, knocking down 4 of 5 from three-point range.

In a close first half, there were 10 lead changes and four ties. The Bearcats gained some momentum with 3:45 remaining with a 8-0 run taking a three-point lead.

Valparaiso nullified the run with a three-pointer with two seconds left by freshman guard Raegan Moore, knotting the halftime score at 31. The halftime score was fitting for the tightly contested first half.

The start of the second half was very sluggish. The teams combined for 13 points in the first 10 minutes. The Bearcats shot 1 of 10 from the field, and committed five turnovers after only 10 the first half.

The Bearcats went exactly 10 minutes without scoring, after their first field goal of the half at 18:50.

“How many games do you see teams go 10 minutes without a field goal and end up winning the game by twelve, not very often,” said head coach Jamelle Elliott.

Valparaiso led 41-37 with 9:10 remaining before a barrage of threes from Roudebush gave the Bearcats the lead, one they would not lose.

Roudebush took over with 8:50 left going 3 for 3 from 3-point range on three-consecutive possessions. The Bearcats sustained the lead with clutch free throws down the stretch, going 12-12 from the line in the last three minutes.

“It was all the play calling and people getting me the ball. To their [UC] credit, they got me open,” Roudebush said.

Junior guard Shareese Ulis led the team with eight assists, while only going 1 of 8 from the field.

“My shots weren’t falling tonight,” Ulis said. “I know in order for us to play well, I have to be involved on offense and defense. I just wanted to get to the hole and get people open.”

UC finished 24 of 27 from the free-throw line, with 19 turnovers and a rebound margin of plus 18.

“I feel like it was key for us to make our free throws,” Jacobs said. “We work on free throws in practice, like situational free throws, and I just stepped up to the line like practice.”

The Bearcats defense stunted the Crusader offense down the stretch limiting them to four points in the final 2:39.

“One thing that has been consistent throughout the year is our defense,” Elliott said. “Our defense has really allowed us to stay in every ball game this year with the exception of Xavier. Tonight we were able to guard them really well.”

Women's basketball snaps 3-game skid

Hunter Tickel |The News Record

Published: Dec. 19, 2009

For the first time in four games the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team won a game.

“It’s been a long time since I have been in this room with a win,” said head coach Jamelle Elliott. “It feels good to be able to come in to the post game press conference and be able to talk about how my team is growing and improving, but to be able to do that after a victory.”

The Bearcats defeated Eastern Kentucky University 62-49 Friday, Dec. 18, at Fifth Third Arena. Junior guard Shareese Ulis led the team with 13 points, while three others finished in double figures. Junior guard Talisha Davis from EKU led all scores with 16 points.

“Tonight we played more together and focused more on maintaining our intensity.
We know that if we play calm and poised that we can be good,” Ulis said.

UC finished with 15 steals, shot 41 percent from three and made 12 more free throws than EKU.

The Bearcats were outrebounded by two, making it the first game this season they won in which they did not outrebound the opponent.

UC turned the ball over on its first possession of the game, and it appeared it was going to be a long night. However, it turned out it was only one of 13 turnovers on the night.

“I think tonight we played at a good pace,” said sophomore guard Shanasa Sanders, who finished with 11 points.

The first half was a low-scoring, competitive contest. Early in the first half there were four ties and four lead changes. The last tie of the game was with 3:37 remaining in the first half with the score knotted at 19.

The Bearcats went into halftime ahead 26-21. They shot a poor 32 percent from the field in the first half, and EKU shot 31 percent. UC’s biggest lead was six points.

UC’s second-half performance barely resembled the first.

The Bearcats came out energized and aggressive, taking a 34-23 lead with 16:25 remaining. Ulis, who was held to two first-half points, scored eight points in that spurt.

“In the first half we turned the ball over, and took quick shots without getting the ball inside,” Elliott said. “In the second half we looked inside and made better decisions with the ball. We capitalized on their turnovers.”

UC’s three-quarter swarming press created a lot of turnovers and easy baskets. The Bearcats’ shots also started dropping. The early Bearcats’ run meant game over for EKU, who never brought the game closer than 12 points.

“We were not as successful as I would have hoped to be, but it allowed us to score 22 points off their turnovers, which helped us out and was probably the difference in the game tonight,” Elliott said.

UC’s lead stretched to as many as 20 points, 53-33. with six minutes remaining.

“The game of basketball is just as much physical as it is mental,” Elliott said. “I don’t think there was anything they were doing in the first half physically that allowed us not to score points or make good decisions with the ball.”

US to face England in World Cup

Tickel your fancy
The News Record
Published: December 6, 2009

The stage is set for the world’s largest sporting event.

The World Cup only comes around every four years and it will take place in South Africa in June and July.

The U.S team received a favorable draw with an intriguing match up with England in its first game.

The England and USA rivalry on and off the field dates back to the independence of our nation.

“It’s an exciting start to the World Cup for us. They don’t come much bigger than England,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley.

England has long been known as our big brother collectively as a nation and as a soccer power. Nothing would upset the country that invented soccer more than if we beat them at their own game.

Call it what you want – the second coming of the tea party, the Revolutionary War, part two. No matter what you call it, it will make for a competitive and exciting game.

The last time these two teams met on this stage was 1950. The United States beat England 1-0 in one of the biggest upsets of all time. It was a game we haven’t let the English forget.

The United States will also face Algeria and Slovenia in Group C, two of the weaker teams in the 32-team field. The Americans will be heavy favorites along with England to advance to the second round.

“If you’re a U.S. fan you should expect to get out of this group,” said former men’s national team defender Alexi Lalas. “If they don’t, it’s a huge disappointment.”

The United States’ favorable draw is the first step toward to a successful tournament.

Beyond group play is the knockout stage, where it’s win or go home. The United States would likely face Germany and I give them a slight edge over the United States.

Eight teams were seeded based on ranking prior to the draw. The weakest was the host nation South Africa.

France was unlucky to not receive a seed but sure enough as I suspected, they drew South Africa.

This World Cup draw did not see a “group of death,” but Group D, contrary to popular belief, will be the toughest group to get out of.

Germany and Ghana will emerge from that group, which includes a talented Australia team and a strong Serbian squad that won its European Qualifying Group.

Group G with Ivory Coast, Portugal and Brazil make for a tough group, but Portugal is a team of individuals and North Korea brings the overall competition of this group down.

My four semifinalists are Ivory Coast, Germany, England and Spain.

Ivory Coast benefits from playing in Africa and this team is the strongest Ivory Coast has ever had with Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure.

They will be the first African side to ever advance to the semifinals.

Most of England’s players play in the Premiership, the best league in the world. They have the talent to make the final and this time will meet expectations.

Spain is the odds-on favorite to win the World Cup and I have them winning it all.

They have long been dubbed the Chicago Cubs of soccer for choking in big games and having never won. However, this team plays the most attractive style of soccer and has the best players in the world.

Brazil will be the biggest disappointment of the tournament. They are one of the favorites, but their style of play is uncharacteristic of past Brazilian teams.

Dunga, Brazil’s coach, limits their skill level by sitting back and counter attacking.

My sleeper teams to make a deep run are Denmark, Chile and Ghana.

Denmark won its qualifying group rather easily, which included Sweden and Portugal.

Chile finished second in the South America qualifying group, only one point behind Brazil.

Ghana is dangerous because they will be playing close to home and has players that have experienced success together in youth World Cups.

Players to keep an eye on at this summer are Lionel Messi of Argentina, Kaka of Brazil, Steven Gerrard of England, Michael Essisen of Ghana and Spanish midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Will you be watching as USA tries to consistently be relevant in the world’s beautiful game? E-mail Hunter at tickelhm@mail.uc.edu

Bearcats lose five straight, miss tourney

The News Record

Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009

The University of Cincinnati men’s soccer team started the season strong, but after five straight losses to finish the year, the Bearcats didn’t qualify for the Big East Tournament.

“The bottom line is the standards of the program were not met this season,” said UC head coach Hylton Dayes.

The Bearcats finished the season with an overall record of 8-10-0 and 3-8-0 in the Big East.

“This is the first time we haven’t made the Big East Tournament, so it’s a little strange to be finished playing already,” Dayes said.

UC opened the season with a surge of goals in a 5-2 win at Dayton.

The Bearcats were undefeated through their first four games with 15 goals scored while conceding only two goals. It was the team’s best start since 1989.

“It was a disappointing season for us. We had the talent to compete with any team in the Big East; we had a big win over Notre Dame,” said senior midfielder Judson McKinney. “We bounced back in practices and started off games playing fairly well in the first half. I think it was just trying to put together a full 90-minute game.”

A 1-0 upset win at conference foe Norte Dame (ranked 21 at the time), was the highlight win of the season. Notre Dame finished second in the Big East.

The Big East had four teams that finished ranked in the top 25 in the final regular season poll.

In the last 13 games the Bearcats conceded 22 goals while scoring only 10 goals and finished with a 4-9 record during those games.

“We gave up goals at inopportune times, whether it was early in the game or late,” Dayes said.

The Bearcats’ fate was ultimately decided Oct. 7 against DePaul at home. UC took the lead but lost the game 2-1 in overtime. DePaul claimed the last spot in the conference tournament finishing with one more win than UC.

“We don’t want to make any excuses, ultimately we just didn’t get it done and everybody has to accept a part of the responsibility as to why we fell short of our expectations,” Dayes said.

The future is bright for the program though. Next season, the Bearcats will return six juniors including their top-four goal scorers.

“The leadership component will be important and I think we’re going to have enough seniors to get that key leadership,” Dayes said.

Branden Stelmak, the Bearcats’ leading scorer, also returns next season after scoring four goals and 12 points this year. Stelmak led the Bearcats in scoring for the second straight season.

“The guys start up training again tomorrow. We need to get better and improve in all areas,” Dayes said. “It was only 2006 when we were at the top of our division. I think that we understand what it takes to win in this league.”

Cincy drops home finale 2-1 to St. John’s

The News Record
Published: Sunday, October 25, 2009

The University of Cincinnati men’s soccer team lost its final home match of the year to St. John’s 2-1 on senior night Saturday, Oct. 24.

“The first 25 minutes of the game we played well, carried the game and had chances,” said UC head coach Hytlon Dayes. “When you’re playing well and you have chances, you have to finish them because St. John’s is very opportunistic.”

Cincinnati (8-8-0, 3-6-0 Big East) had plenty of scoring chances early as junior forward Branden Stelmak’s shot was saved in the second minute of play and sophomore forward Francesco Furio’s shot barely missed, sailing wide right of the goal in the eighth minute.

Then against the run of play, the Red Storm capitalized on a free kick when Tadeu Terra scored on a rebound off of UC goalie Matt Williams in the 33rd minute.

St. John’s had a 1-0 halftime lead, however, both teams played sloppy and didn’t take advantage of scoring opportunities.

The Bearcats outshot St. John’s 8-4 in the first half.

Cincinnati started out hot in the second half and D.J. Albert found the back of the net less than three minutes in. Albert lost the ball at mid-field, but won it back with a slide tackle and then dribbled his way into the box where his shot beat the keeper at the near post.

“We broke the second half down into 15 minute periods. We wanted to push early in the second half to get one back,” Dayes said. “Our guys are probably upset that they didn’t get anything off the chances we had in the first half and now we had to go chase
the game.”

The Red Storm scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute. Becerra’s corner kick was headed by Walter Hines and, despite a diving save attempt by Williams, Trevor Chiduku managed to score on the rebound with a header.

“We executed on everything except restarts, which is where St. John’s scored both of their goals,” Dayes said.

Matt Bahner had the last opportunity to score in the 89th minute when a low cross from Chris Mitchell found him in the box, but his half volley went over the goal.

Seniors Judson McKinney and Luke Henke were honored before the game.

“Judy (McKinney) and Luke are two great kids. They have given their heart and soul to this program. I know our guys wanted to send them out with a win on senior night,” Dayes said. “They understand the importance of commitment and they are team players. I am just proud that I was able to coach them for four years.”

The Bearcats close out the season against Louisville Wednesday, Oct. 28, and against Syracuse Saturday, Oct. 31.

“Were not going to hang our heads, we have two games left and we still have a chance to make the Big East Tournament,” Dayes said.

Soccer ends season, misses Big East tourney

The News Record

Published: Sunday, November 1, 2009

The University of Cincinnati women’s soccer team failed to make the Big East Tournament this year due to a five-game losing streak late in the year.

“This year was a developmental year, we started a really young group that didn’t have a whole lot of experience,” said UC head coach Michelle Salmon. “Our starting lineup was the youngest in the league.”

The Bearcats (8-10-1, 3-7-1 Big East) finished the season sixth in the league, one spot short of the conference tournament. UC finished 1-6 in conference games, decided by one goal.

“The measure of this season comes down to winning those one-goal games in the Big East,” Salmon said. “We get in big moments, but now we need to finish those big moments.”

UC was predicted to finish sixth in the preseason league poll. The highlight of the season was a 1-0 win against St. John’s (then 12th-ranked), who finished second in the league.

The Bearcats started the season strong with a 6-3 record against mostly non-conference teams, but only managed to win one out of their following nine games in the Big East.

The last game of the season was a 4-0 win that ended the Bearcats losing streak and sent the seniors off with a win on Senior Day.

Senior keeper Andrea Kaminski played well in her final season and finished her career with a school record 16 shutouts, 401 saves and five Big East Goalkeeper of the Week awards, two this season.

The Bearcats had to deal with many injuries throughout the season.

“Through the course of the season we continued to get better. I felt like we faced a lot of adversity and we showed character with losing four players to season ending injuries,” Salmon said. “At one point in the season only 12 of our 22 players were practicing.”

Sophomore forward Julie Morrissey led the team in scoring last year, but only finished with four goals this season due to medical issues. Sophomore forward Emily Hebbeler and junior forward Kendall Loggins both led the team in scoring, each with six goals.

Going into their next season, the Bearcats will have eight returning starters from this
year’s squad.

“We have a good core of players and leaders coming back next year,” Salmon said. “Junior midfielder Sydney Barker will take more of a leadership role on our team, Kelli Pawelko and Kay Young will be big time players in the back and Rachel Barnette will be a dominant goalkeeper in the Big East.”

Many underclassmen saw significant playing time and when next season kicks off, the Bearcats will be able to match the experience of other teams in the league.

“Even though our record may not indicate it, we did take a lot of good steps forward this season,” Salmon said.

Women's soccer drops two straight on road

The News Record

Published: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The University of Cincinnati women’s soccer team dropped two games over the weekend to Villanova University and Georgetown University.

The Bearcats scored the first goal in both matches, but couldn’t hang on to the lead in either game.

Villanova came back to beat Cincinnati 3-1 Friday, Oct. 9, and Georgetown battled back to win 3-2 Sunday, Oct. 11.

“When you look at the goals that we gave up, they were young mistakes,” said UC head coach Michelle Salmon. “Set piece goals are something we need to clean up and these mistakes were caused from checking out in key moments.”

Against Villanova, Kendall Loggins scored an early goal for the Bearcats in the second minute of play, her fifth of the season. Loggins scored on a header off a throw-in from Emily Hebbeler.

Set pieces doomed the Bearcats later in the half and the Wildcats equalizing goal came off a corner kick in the 20th minute.

Villanova went on to take a one-goal in the 33rd minute of the first half when Katie Ryan scored on a penalty kick.

In the second half, the Bearcats added insult to injury when they scored an own goal in the 52nd minute.

In the end, the early lead was not enough to secure three points for a win.

“We started two sophomores and two freshmen in the back, and it was the first time they had played together. All the injuries to our defense have forced us to adapt. Villanova also has a very good team and they applied a lot of pressure,” Salmon said.

“We will bounce back were a resilient team and were determined to prove ourselves.”

In Sunday’s game against Georgetown, the Bearcats once again had a promising start with Katie Johnson scoring the opening goal in the 34th minute off a header assisted by Loggins.

Six minutes later, the Hoyas tied the game when Samantha Baker headed a ball in the back of the net off of another corner kick.

Georgetown iced the game in the second half with goals in the 53rd and 70th minute. Melissa Bigg made things interesting in the final 15 minutes of the game when she scored a goal in the 74th minute.

UC had 11 shots in the game, which was the most since Sept. 20, against Akron. Georgetown sout shot the Bearcats by four.

“I am proud of my team this weekend for the way they battled and dealt with adversity as they continue to grow as a team,” Salmon said.

UC only had 13 healthy players for both games.

“We have four huge games coming up at home to close out the season and we control our fate,” Salmon said. “The goal coming into the season and still is to make the Big East Tournament.”

The Bearcats next match is Friday, Oct. 16, against Marquette at 7 p.m.

Cats drop fourth straight match

The News Record

Published: Sunday, October 18, 2009

The University of Cincinnati women’s soccer team (7-9-1, 2-6-1 Big East) extended its losing streak to four this weekend against Marquette University and the University of South Florida.

Marquette beat UC 1-0 Friday, Oct. 16, and lost to South Florida 2-1 Sunday, Oct. 18.

Cincinnati head coach Michelle Salmon said her team needed to be more dangerous and take more risks against USF than they had in previous games.

A scoring opportunity came in the 40th minute when UC junior forward Kendall Loggins threaded a through ball to Emily Hebbeler whose lofted shot was caught by goalkeeper Mallo Lofton-Malachi.

Brooke Eberly also had a solid shot from 20 yards out that sailed just over the goal in the
43rd minute.

USF and UC played a closely contested first half and both teams went into halftime scoreless. The Bulls held a 10-8 shot advantage in the half.

USF took a 1-0 lead in the 62nd minute with a shot from inside the box from Chelsea Klotz that beat Andrea Kaminski at the near post.

Loggins had an opportunity to respond two minutes later with back-to-back shots in the box, but both were blocked off the goal line by USF defenders.

The Bearcats tied the game at 1-1 in the 73rd minute with a goal from Hebbeler. A cross from Erin MacDonald on the right side found Julie Morrissey in the box and after her shot was blocked, Hebbeler buried the rebound to the far post.

The final chance in regulation came with three minutes left. Gina Pacheco of USF was wide open at the penalty spot, but her shot went wide left of the goal sending the game into overtime.

USF finished off the Cats seven minutes into overtime with a goal from Klotz. She lofted a shot outside the box over Kaminski.

“I really felt like we were the most dangerous team today. We had the most dangerous opportunities and we presented a good chance to win this game,” Salmon said.

The Bearcats out shot USF 12-7 in the second half and had three corner kicks to the Bulls one.

Marquette beat UC 1-0 in another close game. Rachael Sloan earned the game-winning assist with a cross to Ashley Bares who finished with a header in the 36th minute.

The Bearcats registered two shots to the Golden Eagles 15 shots.

The Bearcats close out the season with two must-win games at home Friday, Oct. 23, against Rutgers and Sunday, Oct. 25, against Seton Hall.

“With a very talented team like Rutgers coming in, this is a time for us to step up and see what we are made of. One thing I am excited about is that this team rebounds very well,” Salmon said.

Swimming and diving gains experience at Indiana Invitational

The News Record
Published: Sunday, November 22, 2009

The University of Cincinnati swimming and diving teams placed second and third, respectively, at the Indiana Invitational, Nov. 20 through Nov. 23.

The men’s team finished in second and the women’s team took third.

There were two schools competing on the men’s side and three schools on the women’s side.

“We got a lot of swims in,” said UC head coach Monty Hopkins. “A lot of people get back to finals that ordinarily would not have made the second swim. As far as our team goes, the results were very positive.”

The large number of repetitions the Cincinnati team participated in over the weekend will help UC gain more experience when it comes time for the NCAA Tournament and the Big East Championships.

“We had some people make some real progress in some individual events,” Hopkins said.

Senior Josh Schneider won a total of four individual events at the invitational while senior Jeremy Peter won three. Both men were in the finals of every race in which they swam.

“Peter swam in a lot of races,” Hopkins said. “Peter got second place in the 200 back and then won the 200 breaststroke the very next race.”

On the women’s side, sophomore Liz Hansson had the best overall team time in the meet placing third overall in the 200 backstroke.

“We are looking at this in terms of getting a lot of swims qualifying for the Big East meet,” Hopkins said. “We did qualify some swimmers for the tournament that were not qualified before this weekend.”

The Bearcats have five remaining competitions, however the main event is the Big East Swimming and Diving Championships in February, 2010.

“We’re going to have to make some adjustments over the next six weeks so that were in the best possible position for the Big East Tournament,” Hopkins said.

UC has four individuals that are close to making NCAA cut times: Ellinore de Jong, Hansson, Peter and Schneider. Other individuals are looking to improve their times.

“Were hoping to get some people closer to those B cuts in December, so at the Big East meet they can pick them up there,” Hopkins said.

Next up, the swimming and diving team is scheduled to compete in the Miami (OH) Invitational Dec. 3.

“The biggest focus is good performances two weeks from now. Then we go to training camp and then we reload for conference meet,” Hopkins said.