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By Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com Columnist
CINCINNATI -- After consecutive losses at Connecticut and Memphis, University of Cincinnati associate head coach Larry Davis decided it was time for a change. He moved senior forward Jermaine Sanders into the starting lineup and benched junior Shaq Thomas.
Sanders responded with a career-high 16 points last Saturday in UC's blowout win over Temple, and contributed nine more in the Bearcats' 67-54 victory over Houston on Wednesday night before 9,815 fans at Fifth Third Arena.
Apparently sensing that he needed to pick up his game if he ever wanted to get back on the floor, Thomas came back and scored 10 points against the Cougars - nine in the second half - and made four or five shots from the field. Suddenly, a position that had been a problem for most of the season produced a combined 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting in one game.
"We had an upperclassman who came off the bench after not starting and not playing much in the last game and not playing that much in the first half, who had his mind right and came in and played within himself," Davis said of Thomas.
For the second straight game, the Bearcats struggled in the first half, especially on offense, before hitting their stride in the second. UC (13-5 overall, 4-2 in the American Athletic Conference) outscored Houston, 43-26, in the second half after trailing by four at intermission, shooting 61.9 percent from the field. That comes on the heels of 76.9 percent shooting in the second half of the Temple game.
Perhaps because Houston (7-11, 0-7) has not won a league game, the Bearcats had trouble finding motivation at the game's outset. The coaches sensed it and tried to address the issue in the locker room before the game. But the players didn't get the message.
"During warmups we were kind of down," said sophomore point guard Troy Caupain, who led the Bearcats with 13 points and six assists. "The coaches kept saying we've got to make our own energy. In the first half we were just a little slow and sluggish. But in the second half, all the coaches came in with the rah-rah and kind of got us going. We came out and we kind of locked in together as a team and just grew as the game went on."
The new attitude paid immediate dividends. Kevin Johnson connected on a 3-pointer to start the half, then Gary Clark made a breakaway dunk to quickly erase the halftime deficit. A 3-point play by Octavius Ellis with 15:43 to go gave UC a six-point lead and a Thomas basket with 13:54 put the Bearcats ahead by nine. They never trailed again, putting the game away with a 13-0 run from the 6:53 mark of the second half until the 1:47 mark.
UC outscored Houston, 31-15, off turnovers and 23-10 off the bench. The Bearcats made 16 of 17 free throws, but were out-rebounded, 26-21, and surrendered 14 offensive boards.
By the end of the game, Sanders had played 25 minutes to 19 for Thomas, although they were on the floor together for a spell. Both were effective offensively, but were able to muster only two rebounds between them.
Sanders dismissed the notion that being a starter helped him find his offensive rhythm.
"I like coming off the bench," he said. "I like to see how the game is going. I'm just making shots. I'm not doing anything different than I have all season."
But when it was suggested that if he really felt that way, maybe he should request a return to the bench, Sanders quickly said he had no intention of doing such a thing.
Meanwhile, Thomas looked like a player with a new lease on life, which, of course, was Davis' plan all along.
"He practiced yesterday like his life depended on it," Davis said. "The best motivator in the world is not some speech. It's that pine. That motivates you more than anything. When you find yourself sitting over there that motivates you real quick. He practiced the last two days like he wanted to play."
But Davis stopped short of saying the new lineup is permanent.
"We'll see," he said. "Starting is an equal opportunity job in our program. Just because you started the last game, if your mind's not right, if you're not practicing the way we want you to, you probably won't start. It doesn't matter if you started 17 games in a row. That's what it's all about. You've got your senior and junior with the right attitude and it makes a big difference. You've got to get leadership out of those guys."
The next home game for the Bearcats is Thursday, Jan. 29, as they look to avenge an earlier loss to conference rival UConn. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. For tickets to that contest and all remaining home games, call 1-877-CATS-TIX or visit BearcatsBasketball.com.