TicketsDec. 28, 2005
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Head coach Andy Kennedy has frequently warned that, when James White, Eric Hicks and Armein Kirkland are off their games, the Bearcats would be in trouble.
Devan Downey, Cedric McGowan and Jihad Muhammad kept the UC in the game, and ultimately rallied Cincinnati to a 75-65 win over the Miami RedHawks before 11,786 at U.S. Bank Arena.
The victory was the Bearcats' seventh straight, upping their ledger to 10-2. It also extended UC's win streak over the RedHawks to eight, boosting its lead in the all-time series to 89-53. Miami fell to 4-5.
White, Hicks and Kirkland had a combined eight points by halftime, which saw UC on the short end of a 35-30 score, only the third time it had trailed at half this season (UC was 0-2 on the other occasions).
The Bearcats were still down by five when they put together an 11-0 run to take command of the game. Hicks ignited the spurt with a rare trey. Muhammad then made a steal and drove for a game-tying layup at the 14:18 mark. Following a pair free throws by Downey, Muhammad had another steal and score, and then broke free for yet another layup to cap the run.
Cincinnati let its lead slide to one point, 53-52, with 8:35 to play, but put the game away with an 18-4 run that was sparked by more steals, blocks and breakouts.
Downey finished with 19 points. McGowan, showing no effects of the shoulder injury suffered in the win over LSU, had 10 timely points and seven rebounds.
Muhammad was clearly the hero of the game. The 5-11 senior had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, a pair of blocks and a steal. He was 6-of-11 from the field and eschewed the 3-point shot--he was 3-of-6 from behind the arc--to penetrate and score or pass.
"I thought Muhammad was the difference in the game," Kennedy stated. "I'd like to see it every game. He was great on the ball. He's always been a good on-the-ball defender. He showed that energy in the second half." "That's being a senior," Muhammad responded when asked about his performance. "That's senior leadership--just taking charge."
Hicks recovered from his first half slump to score 11 points. He also recorded nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
White, who made only one of six shot attempts, hit a pair of late free throws to reach 10 points, a season-low, but he extended his string of double-digit scoring performances to 12. Kirkland, 2-of-8 from the floor, finished with nine points.
William Hatcher led Miami with 26 points, shooting 11-of-17 from the floor. Tim Pollitz returned from illness to tally 13 points.
"You don't want to be the Grinch that stole Christmas," Kennedy observed. The coach noted that the team did not return from its holiday break until Monday night and had only a day of preparation.
"You come down here and are staring at a team that is a good basketball team. Coach (Charlie) Coles' teams are always well-prepared. I thought we came out flat. Sometimes, I felt like we were there physically but not mentally."
The Bearcats conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule on Friday, hosting North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.
NOTES:
- Eric Hicks' four blocked shots extended his streak of games with a block to 11. He has posted a rejection in 42 of his last 44 games, and has 22 blocks over his last six contests.
- Five Bearcats scored in double figures, the six time this season that UC has had a quintet of double-digit scorers.
Armein Kirkland topped the 300 mark in career rebounds and finished with 303.
- The win was the 10th straight for UC at U.S. Bank Arena and improved the Bearcats' all-time record in the building to 114-50.
- The 11,788 attendance was Cincinnati's highest home crowd of the season.