Sunday, December 02, 2001
Role reversal for Xavier, UC
Muskies struggle, Bearcats soar into Crosstown Shootout
By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Under normal circumstances, you would say their roles are reversed and that it might matter.
This season, Xavier's women, coming off an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, have an inexperienced frontcourt, a 2-3 record and a young team trying to learn what its coach wants.
The University of Cincinnati, coming off a National Invitation Tournament bid, has veterans inside and out and a 4-0 record and is focused on earning an NCAA berth.
But throw all that out. Because when the teams meet in today's Skyline Chili Women's Crosstown Shootout at XU's Cintas Center, well, you never know what's going to happen.
“Anybody that's been around UC and in Cincinnati knows this game is not about how good you are or how bad you are,” UC coach Laurie Pirtle said.
Which is why she's at a loss to explain the Bearcats' five-game winning streak over the Musketeers, including last season when they handed XU one of its three losses (75-59).
The previous two years, UC won in double-overtime and overtime.
“I don't think we should've beat them last year, but we did,” Pirtle said. “I can't explain that game for the life of me.” XU coach Melanie Balcomb said she doesn't even know where to begin this year in preparing for UC.
She has just one player — junior guard Reetta Piipari — who has played two full seasons. Only three players — Piipari, Kate Kreager and Shavon Bell — played in last year's game against UC.
“I can honestly tell you, I don't have time for it to be a Crosstown Shootout,” Balcomb said with a laugh. “I have to fix my team. We're too young to even worry about them or the hype.”
This is a good test for the Bearcats, who are trying to attract national attention. They are off to their best start since 1997-98, but 54 teams received votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and UC was not among them.
“This is always a big game for us because we want to prove who's the best in Cincinnati — and Ohio, for that matter,” UC junior guard K.B. Sharp said. “We're trying to, I guess, get where they are — get respect.”
But Xavier is riding its first three-game losing streak since February 1999. It has not lost four in a row since January 1997.
The Musketeers are coming off a 78-56 loss at No.4-ranked Vanderbilt Wednesday night.
“We came out the first 10 minutes scared and intimidated,” Balcomb said. “Then we beat them the middle 20 minutes. With 11 minutes to go, we pulled within two (51-49), and from that point on, it was turnover, turnover, turnover. The other team scored every time.
“When we don't think and we just play, we played well. So the promise, the potential was exciting and encouraging.”
There are some good matchups to watch for today.
UC has 6-foot-2 senior Tamara Douglass at center and 6-3 freshman Debbie Merrill at power forward. The two are combining for 31.1 points and 16.6 rebounds a game. That should look familiar to XU, which last spring graduated stellar post players Jennifer Phillips and Taru Tuukkanen, two of the top five scorers in school history. XU will counter with 6-3 sophomore Kate Kreager and 6-foot freshman Alexis Henderson inside.
Kreager leads Xavier in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.8). Merrill leads the Bearcats in scoring (16.8) and is even with Douglass on the boards (8.3 each).
“I think pretty much every game the post players, in general, are going to have to carry a large load for this team,” Kreager said. “If we don't have a post game, then our guards get so much pressure that we can't do anything,” Kreager said.
The backcourt is where Xavier has experience, with junior Amy Waugh and Piipari. They and Bell are averaging double-figure scoring.
UC's perimeter attack begins with sophomore Valerie King, the team's No.2 scorer (15.8 ppg), and includes Sharp and sophomore forward Brittani Young.
“I see a lot more of us in them, and I don't like it,” Balcomb said of UC. “I see them having a great year, too.”
Still, Cincinnati has this to overcome: The Musketeers have won 22 consecutive home games and are 16-0 at Cintas Center.
“We're at the point where we're beginning to come together,” Waugh said. “We're improving every day. That's what we need to continue to do. We just need to come out and play together as a team for 40 minutes and not have any lapses.”
Said UC's Douglass: “We have to match their intensity because they want to be the best in the city just like us.”
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