Basketball Game Preview: University Wildcats vs. Hamilton Yankees

University is 0-10 against Hamilton since December of 2019 but things could change on Thursday. The University Wildcats will take on the Hamilton Yankees at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

University will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating Los Angeles CES, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. University came out on top against Los Angeles CES by a score of 34-21 on Monday.

It was another big night for Katty Noundjio, who posted 20 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of University's points.

Meanwhile, Hamilton entered their tilt with Palisades on Wednesday with 12 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 13. They strolled past the Dolphins with points to spare, taking the game 68-50. Given the Yankees' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 24th, while the Dolphins are ranked 247th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hamilton's win came from a few key players University will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jade Fort, who put up 19 points. Her evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Micah Lemons, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 boards.

Hamilton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 21 consecutive games.

Hamilton pushed their record up to 21-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.9 points per game. As for University, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-14.

University took a serious blow against Hamilton in their previous matchup on Friday, falling 74-11. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hamilton's Kinidi Curl, who went 12 for 15 en route to 27 points along with five assists and four steals. Now that University knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.