TicketsDec. 17, 2005
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Five Cincinnati players scored in double figures and senior Eric Hicks dominated on the interior, leading the Bearcats to a lopsided 105-62 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday night in the opening match-up of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. UC, winners of three straight, ups its record to 6-2 on the year.
Hicks gave the Bearcats another blue-collar effort in the paint, knocking down 8 of 11 shots for 19 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking five shots. James White scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, while leading all players with a season-high eight boards. Jihad Muhammad turned in one of his best outings of the year, dropping in a season-best 18 points. Devan Downey was a sparkplug at his point guard position, scoring 16 points and totaling career highs with nine assists and seven rebounds. Cedric McGowan chipped in12 points for UC.
As good as the Cincinnati offense was (the Bearcats shot a season-high 56 percent from the floor), UC's defense was also up to the task. The Bearcats forced the Golden Eagles (6-2) into 22 turnovers, while holding TTU to .323 shooting. White suffocated Tech's leading scorer, Derek Stribling, holding the senior to two points, 11 below his season average. Stribling did not even attempt a shot until the 12:23 mark of the second half and finished zero for three from the field.
"It started on the Vanderbilt trip and being stuck on a bus," UC head coach Andy Kennedy said of his team's chemistry. "The team is starting to come together and we're starting to take steps in the right direction."
The Bearcats raced out to a hot start, taking a 51-25 lead into the half after a dominating first half performance. UC shot 54 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, with Hicks accounting for 15 of his points. Cincinnati would never trail in the contest, with a 2-2 tie the closest Tennessee Tech would stand. Leading by eight approaching the 13-minute mark, Hicks knocked down a jumper to push UC's lead into double figures for the first time and an Armein Kirkland bucket just over a minute later sealed the Bearcats' double figure lead for the balance of the night.
Tennessee Tech would rally in the middle stages of the first half, getting a Milone Clark dunk with 6:39 to play to make it a 31-21 game. But Cincinnati would close the half on a 20-4 run to take a 26-point cushion into the second half.
The second half started with more of the same for Cincinnati, as the Bearcats opened the stanza outscoring the Golden Eagles by a 17-5 count over the first 4:05 to build their lead to 38.
Half number two was highlighted by several fantastic plays by the Bearcats, with White leading the highlight reel. The 6-7 high-flyer from Washington, D.C. had two spectacular dunks, one coming off a between the legs feed from freshman Domonic Tilford. McGowan also enjoyed an exceptional second half, scoring all 12 of his points after being plagued by foul trouble in the early goings.
Late in the game, Muhammad scored five points in a 30-second span to push the Bearcats over the 100-point mark for the first time since scoring 102 vs. Elon on Dec. 30, 2003. UC built its largest lead of the night (44) with 2:05 to play on walk-on Branden Miller's first career basket.
The Bearcats' game-ending total of 105 points was the most by UC since a 105-57 win over Tulane on Jan. 29, 2001.
UC enjoyed its largest rebounding margin of the year vs. TTU, beating the Eagles 44 to 35 on the boards. Four Bearcats finished with at least seven boards, led by White's game-high eight.
Tennessee Tech was paced by Anthony Fisher's 16 points and Justin Taylor's 10, with both players coming off the bench. UC held the Eagles' starting five to just 18 points.
The Bearcats will continue their stretch of four games in six days on Monday, once again taking part in a Las Vegas Holiday Classic match-up. UC welcomes Arkansas-Monticello to Fifth Third Arena on Monday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Tickets for the contest are still available by calling the UC Ticket Office at (513) 556-CATS or by logging onto to www.ucbearcats.com.