TicketsFeb. 28, 2006
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Cincinnati's postseason play prospects took a hit when the Bearcats were upended at Seton Hall, 72-62, at Continental Airlines Arena.
The setback was costly for the Bearcats. UC, which entered the game tied with Seton Hall and Syracuse for seventh place, fell to ninth place with a 7-8 record, affecting the team's seed in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament. Cincinnati, 18-11 overall, will try to boost its seed in Saturday's regular season finale vs. No. 16 West Virginia.
Jihad Muhammad, who scored 21 points, was the Bearcats' star. The 5-11 senior, playing in front on 41 friends and family members who made the trip from his hometown of nearby Plainfield, was 7-of-10 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range, extending his streak of double-figure scoring games to eight.
James White had 17 points and Cedric McGowan added eight points. The rest of the Bearcats struggled. Eric Hicks, who entered the game averaging a double-double over his previous 18 games, managed just nine points, on 3-of-11 shooting, and six rebounds. Point guard Devan Downey failed to score.
Donald Copeland, playing his final home game for the Pirates, scored 28 points with Kelly Whitney contributing 18.
The Bearcats were uncharacteristically cold at the foul line. UC, which entered the game ranked 11th nationally in free throw percentage, made just nine of 18 free throws. White, who has ranked among the national individual leaders, was 2-of-6.
Also uncharacteristic for this team was a spotty effort.
"I don't get it," lamented head coach Andy Kennedy on his postgame radio show. "We were playing for our lives. For us to approach the game the way we did is extremely disappointed.
Cincinnati fell to a 9-2 deficit in the first three minutes of the game. UC seemed to get untracked to whittle down that margin. With 5:30 to play in the half, Muhammad started a rally, scoring seven straight points to pull the Bearcats even. White hit a pair of treys and Hicks added a 3 to help UC build a 34-38 halftime lead.
The lethargy returned after the intermission. UC stretched the margin to eight points, but the Pirates regained the lead with an 8-3 run. Muhammad seemingly awakened the Bearcats again with a quick five points to put them back on top, and UC held a 51-46 advantage with 6:53 remaining.
Seton Hall was also sensing the urgency of the season, and rallied. Copeland's trey at the 5:34 mark regained the lead for good and the Pirates outscored the Bearcats, 18-10, the rest of the way.
Foul trouble became a factor. Chadd Moore fouled out with 3:12 to play and Muhammad was disqualified with 50 seconds remaining. McGowan also was missed part of the game with foul trouble.
Hicks' gimpy right ankle suffered yet another twist and he limped to the bench with 2:30 to play. Moments later he winced his way to the scorers table to re-enter the contest, but was called back by Kennedy.
Cincinnati also was careless with the basketball during key parts of the game, especially down the stretch, and finished with 12 turnovers.
"We did not do the things we needed to do and as a result, we have to accept the consequences," Kennedy noted.
NOTES:
- Eric Hicks blocked two more shots, giving him 100 for the season. He needs seven more rejections to reach the single season record of 107 set by Kenyon Martin in 1999-00. - Hicks moved into 27th place in career scoring with 1,127 points, passing George Wilson (1962-64) who had 1,124. - James White became the 44th member of UC's 1,000 Point Club. White finished with 1,012 points at UC--he has 1,194 for his career, which began at Florida--putting him in 43rd on the career scoring list. - UC shot .386 from the field, the third straight game in which the Bearcats have managed less than 40 percent from the field.