TicketsNov. 19, 2005
CINCINNATI, OH - The University of Cincinnati basketball team made the coaching debut of head coach Andy Kennedy a memorable one, pulling one out its season-opener on Saturday night with a thrilling 79-75 overtime win over Murray State before a crowd of 8,088 at Fifth Third Arena.
The win was the 1,500th all-time victory in the storied history of Cincinnati basketball and also marked the 40th straight home-opening win for the Bearcats.
Senior swingman James White scored a game-high 21 points and tied the game with a steal and breakaway dunk with 5.8 seconds remaining in regulation to cap a furious comeback as the Bearcats erased a seven-point deficit in the final 3:47 to stun the visiting Racers, coached by former UC assistant Mick Cronin.
"I saw the shot clock running down and there was a differential, so when I saw him spin, I just tried to make a play. And thank God, I got the ball," said White of the pivotal game-tying steal and dunk. "Once I got it, I was just relieved."
UC struggled on both ends of the floor, shooting just 39 percent from the field and giving up 18 offensive rebounds. The Bearcats, who shot 59 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point in two preseason exhibition wins, hit just 5 of 19 from three-point range against MSU for a chilly 26 percent.
"Tonight will help this team, believe it or not, much like the Northern Iowa game was for us last year (UC trailed by 18 with 10 minutes left and won in double OT)," said a relieved Kennedy. "This was tremendous for our team. That (Murray State) is a good team. They really gave us a test that was much needed for our guys."
The undersized Bearcats also got strong efforts from forwards Eric Hicks and Cedric McGowan. Hicks, the emotional senior leader of the team, recorded the 14th double-double of his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while McGowan, a junior college transfer making his UC debut, added nine points and 10 rebounds.
UC looked to be in control of the game late in the first half when it held a 35-25 lead with 1:53 remaining, only to see Murray State score the final eight points of the half to cut the Bearcat lead to only 35-33 at halftime. MSU led most of the second half, taking its biggest lead at 58-50 with 8:00 remaining and again at 61-53 with 6:45 left before UC rallied late.
"We have been shooting it well all preseason when it doesn't count, but tonight you saw what happens when shots don't fall, it can get ugly," Kennedy said. "I hope this is the wakeup call we needed."
In the extra session, McGowan scored three straight points to put the Bearcats ahead for good at 75-73, and Devan Downey and Armein Kirkland clinched the victory with a pair of free throws each in the final 24 seconds.
The Bearcats also got a quality performance off the bench from freshman Domonic Tilford, who scored eight points in eight minutes to keep UC in position to rally late and eventually win the game. Tilford, who was Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky last year, made all three of his shots, including a three-pointer.
"It opened a lot of people's eyes on the team. This shows we've got to get better and shows we have to play harder," Hicks said. "We just need to come together and play hard and we will get wins."
Trey Pearson, the preseason Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, led the Racers, 0-1, with 18 points and four steals. Justin Orr added 13 points and Shawn Witherspoon had 12 points and 12 rebounds for MSU, the preseason favorite to win the OVC.
"I was really proud of the way my team played today. We are not going to hang our heads - it's a great game for us," Cronin added.
The Bearcats, 1-0, continue their season-opening five-game homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 22 against Illinois State (1-0). Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. EST at Fifth Third Arena.