TicketsBearcats Enjoy 81-51 Rout of Chattanooga
Chadd Moore stars with 12 points, eight assists in first start.
Contact: Tom Hathaway
1/2/2003
Chadd Moore |
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cincinnati's 81-51 romp over Chattanooga was the type of pre-conference play tune-up which might have been expected from the Bearcats.
Head coach Bob Huggins was able to get a lot of the reserve players quality playing time with 10 players seeing at least 13 minutes of action as UC upped its season record to 7-3.
Some of this was out of necessity. With senior point Taron Barker nursing a back injury, freshman Chadd Moore got the starting assignment at point guard. Moore, who had played in only two of UC's previous games and had yet to score a point, finished with 12 points along with eight assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals in 26 minutes of action.
Another freshman, Eric Hicks, was called upon to perk up a sluggish defense midway through the first half. Hicks, whose playing time as well as his contributions had also been sparse, responded with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, all career highs for the 6-6 rookie.
The Bearcats demonstrated some of the all-out athletic play that had been a trademark of Cincinnati teams. UC achieved season highs in steals (13) and blocks (9), and for most of the game dominated the boards, eventually posting a 45-31 margin in rebounds.
Cincinnati's aggressive defensive play helped coerce Chattanooga into committing 31 turnovers, the most by a UC opponents since Tennessee-Martin's 35 miscues in 1994-95.
The Bearcats held Chattanooga to its lowest offensive output in 93 games. The Mocs, who entered the game averaging 81.4 points and a .499 shooting percentage, shot just .320 from the floor in becoming the eight UC foe this season to be held under the .400.
Chattanooga, which entered the game with a 9-2 record, challenged the Cats through the first 15 minutes and held a 25-24 advantage with 4:52 left in the first half. Cincinnati closed the period with a 17-0 scoring run and from that point the game was never in doubt.
"We really stepped up the defensive pressure and made some steals. That led to easy baskets on the other end," said Huggins of the team's final flurry in the first half. "They (Chattanooga) force you to play a helter-skelter game. You have to take what they give you and as long as you handle their traps, you'll be fine."
Field Williams recovered from some early shooting woes to tally a game-high 17 points. Jason Maxiell recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and also rejected three shots. Leonard Stokes extended his modest string of consecutive double-digit scoring games with 12 points while coming up with four steals.
But the evening belonged to Moore, who was seeing his first action in exactly a month (he last played Dec. 2 vs. Valparaiso) and Hicks, who days ago was in the proverbial dog house after delaying his returng from the Christmas break by three days.
"I thought Chadd played well for his first extended time," stated Huggins. "He's had some great practices lately and great practices equal great games. Chadd gets the ball up and down the floor easily and makes nice passes.
"Eric played well in practices," Huggins continued. "He came back with a great attitude. Everyone has to learn that this is a team. (Leonard) Stokes is our leading scorer and he only had 10 points tonight. Whatever works for the team."
The Bearcats are off until their Conference USA opener vs. DePaul on Jan. 8.
NOTES:
? Cincinnati has now held eight opponents under the .400 mark in field goal percentage. In limiting Chattanooga to .320 shooting, the Bearcats lowered their season field goal percentage defense to .374.
? The Bearcats shot .448 from the field to climb over the .400 mark in team field goal percentage for the first time this season. UC is now shooting .404 from the floor.
? The Bearcats continue to struggle with their long-distance shooting. Cincinnati was just 4-of-22 from 3-point range (.182). UC is now shooting .325 from 3-point range for the year.
? Evidence of Cincinnati's dominance. UC tallied 38 points in the paint and scored 25 points off turnovers.
? While UC forced an eight-season high 31 turnovers, the Bearcats made a season-high 18 miscues of their own. They had a total of 11 turnovers in their previous two outings.