TicketsDec. 23, 2005
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Chalk up another win in which the Bearcats overcame obstacles and over-achieved against superior talent.
Cincinnati fought back from a five-point deficit in the final 2:57 to beat LSU, 75-72, in the final round of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
UC offset a 13-rebound advantage by the Tigers, who lead the nation in rebounding, and LSU's significant size advantage which produced 40 points from the paint with scrappy guard play that forced 23 turnovers and generated 25 points off turnovers.
And the already-thin Bearcats survived the loss of another player. Starting forward Cedric McGowan left the game in the first half with a dislocated shoulder. UC's remaining mainstays played longer and harder. James White played all 40 minutes while Eric Hicks and Armein Kirkland were on the court for 37 and 36 minutes, respectively.
The victory was Cincinnati's sixth straight, upping its ledger to 9-2. UC and Northern Iowa both finished 4-0 in the LVHC. The two teams did not play each other in the round-robin tournament and will share the title. "It was a tremendous effort by our guys," stated UC head coach Andy Kennedy in his postgame radio show. "We knew going in that with their size and play on the glass--they lead the nation in rebounding--we would have to get some turnovers from our guards and use that to our advantage.
"James White--how he has grown as a player--did a tremendous job on defense," the coach continued. "Eric Hicks played the way we need Eric Hicks to play. We grew by leaps and bounds as a team tonight."
Hicks led UC with 21 points. The 6-6 senior also snagged seven rebounds, going against the LSU front line that measured 6-9, 6-8 and 6-7, and blocked three shots.
White, who finished with 19 points, was the hero when the game was on the line.
UC had led by as many as seven points in the second half, but LSU went on a 9-0 burst to seize a 72-67 lead with 2:57 to play. White drained a 3-pointer 30 seconds later, then after a pair of missed free throws by the Tigers' Darrel Mitchell, put the Bearcats back in the lead with a trey at the 1:51 mark. White sealed the contest with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining.
Cincinnati led by as many as six points in the first half, which saw six ties and a pair of lead changes, and held a 39-37 advantage at halftime. Hicks, who had 14 points, was the pivotal player in the first half.
McGowan, UC's second-leading rebounder, left the game midway through the half. His playing status will be evaluated when the team returns to Cincinnati.
"You just don't want to ask what can happen next around this team," commented Kennedy. "Cedric is a strong kid, so we hope that will help him recover quickly."
The Bearcats will take a brief break for Christmas. The team will return to practice on the evening of Dec. 26 in preparation for the Dec. 28 game vs. Miami (Ohio) at U.S. Bank Arena.
NOTES:
* The Bearcats had their streak of games in which they scored 80 or more points snapped at five, the longest since UC put together a streak of six straight games in December of the 1996-97 season.
* Eric Hicks, with three blocks, extended his streak of games in which he has recorded a blocked shot to 10. Hicks has blocked 18 shots in his last five games and has recorded a block in 41 of his last 43 games.
* Armein Kirkland's 36 minutes played was a career high for the senior.
* Devan Downey had his streak of games in which he came up with a steal ended at nine. The 5-10 freshman had eight assists, one shy of his career high. Downey has had 26 assists over his last five games.
* The tournament title is the Bearcats' first in-season crown since they won the Las Vegas Classic in December, 2001.