Williamson Scores Season-High, but UC Falls Short at Pitt, 73-67

Williamson Scores Season-High, but UC Falls Short at Pitt, 73-67Williamson Scores Season-High, but UC Falls Short at Pitt, 73-67

Feb. 27, 2008

Box Score | Quotes | Notes

PITTSBURGH -- John Williamson tied a career high with 27 points and Deonta Vaughn added 24 to lead Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh allowed just 16 points by the rest of the squad to snap a three-game losing streak with a 73-67 win over UC on Wednesday night.

Cincinnati (13-14, 8-7 BIG EAST) entered the night with a one-game advantage over Pitt in the BIG EAST Conference race. The contest featured seven ties and seven lead changes and neither team opened up a lead of more than seven. The game was tied at halftime, and UC opened the second half on an 11-4 run, but Pitt scored the next seven points to tie it again at 40.

Pitt was nursing a two-point lead late until a Levance Fields 3-pointer with 54 seconds to play made it a two-possession game.

The win was the first for Pitt since Fields returned from injury. The starting point guard was making his second start since returning to the lineup, Fields had seven points and a team-high five assists.

Sam Young had 20 points and DeJuan Blair 18 as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak. Blair added a game-high 10 rebounds and Keith Benjamin 11 points for the Panthers (20-8, 8-7 Big East). The Panthers started the season 11-0, but then Fields injured his foot during a loss to Dayton Dec. 29. They went 8-4 without Fields, including a 62-59 defeat at the hands of the Bearcats in Fifth Third Arena.

Williamson and Vaughn accounted for the majority of the scoring for the Bearcats, who have lost two in a row. Williamson totaled a team-high nine rebounds while Vaughn dropped eight assists.

In the frontcourt, Adam Hrycaniuk registered seven points and six caroms for the Bearcats. Jamual Warren contributed seven assists from his spot in the UC backcourt.

The Bearcats return home to face Providence on Sunday at Noon.