TicketsMaxiell Dominant In Bearcats' 11th Straight Win
Senior scores career-best 30 for UC
Contact: Brian Teter
12/30/2004
Jason Maxiell scored a career-high 30 points in UC's triumph over Longwood. |
LAS VEGAS, Nev.---Behind a career night from senior forward Jason Maxiell, No. 17 Cincinnati wore down a scrappy Longwood team to post its 11th straight win, 95-69 on Thursday night in the third round of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
Maxiell dominated the interior all game long, scoring a career-high 30 points, while also blocking seven shots by the Lancers to match his career best in that category. The win keeps the Bearcats as one of just 13 unbeaten teams nationally as they are now 11-0 on the season. Longwood, who entered the night ranked No. 330 nationally, falls to 1-15 on the year.
Maxiell?s performance allowed him to continue to add his name to the UC record books. Now with 1,230 points to his credit, Maxiell moved into 22nd place in school annals in scoring, passing LaZelle Durden. He also surpassed the 200-block plateau for his career, becoming just the second player in school history to do so, ending the evening with 203 to his credit.
Three Bearcats joined Maxiell in double figure scoring, including the senior?s inside running mate, junior Eric Hicks who finished with 17. Jihad Muhammad added 15 points off the bench, while James White had 10, all but three coming in the first half.
Leading by just eight at halftime after a high scoring, hot shooting first half by both teams, UC was able to find an answer for Longwood leading scorer Michael Jefferson. Jefferson who began the night averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game, including 30 last week against No. 1 Illinois, totaled 19 points in the first half. But the stingy Bearcat defense was able to stop the talented sophomore in the second half, limiting Jefferson to just eight points after halftime, all coming in a span of less than four minutes. Jefferson finished with a team high 27 points for the Lancers.
The Bearcats struggled out of the gates in the second half as they were outscored 12-8 over the first six minutes as Longwood cut the lead to 58-54. But UC used a 7-0 run paced by Maxiell and Muhammad to break open the game for good at 65-54.
After a putback by Roy Bright put the Bearcats up 72-56, Jefferson got hot for the Lancers, scoring eight points over a 3:15 span to put Longwood back within 12. But his three-pointer with 8:16 left to play would prove to be the Lancers? last field goal for over six minutes and their next to last converted bucket of the game. Down the stretch, Armein Kirkland scored five straight points to put UC back up by 22, before the Bearcat reserves hit the court to run out the clock. Cincinnati built its largest and final cushion of 26 on redshirt freshman Asrangue Souleymane?s second bucket of the night at the buzzer. The four points marked the first of the Central African Republic native?s career.
Longwood showed from the opening tip that they would give the Bearcat all they could handle as they trailed just 9-8 at the first media timeout. As they would throughout much of the game, UC rode the strong back of Maxiell early as the Carrollton, Texas native scored 13 of the team?s first 26 points. Cincinnati built a lead of as much as 11 on numerous occasions in the first 20 minutes, but Longwood continued to fight back. With UC up 42-32 following a three-point play by Muhammad, Jefferson answered for the Lancers with a trey to cut the lead back to seven at the 4:00 media stoppage.
The Bearcats once again built a 10-point cushion on White?s lay-in with 2:10 left before the break, just as Jefferson once again took over. The sophomore scored five straight to cut the Bearcat lead in half, but a three by Hicks with a minute to play gave UC a 50-42 lead heading into the locker room.
The first half proved full of offensive fireworks as UC held a slim 51 to 48 percent edge in shooting. Jefferson led all players with 19 points at the break, trailed closely by Maxiell with 18.
The stage is now set for the Bearcats? biggest challenge of the year, as they will battle top-ranked Illinois on Friday night in the championship game of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Tip-off from Valley High School has been set for 8 p.m. ET, with Fox Sports Ohio providing televised coverage throughout Ohio.