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By Bill Koch
Go.BEARCATS.com Columnist
DALLAS - Larry Davis knew the University of Cincinnati Bearcats would face a physical opponent in SMU on Thursday night, but the UC associate head coach was equally concerned about the mental challenge that would confront them playing in perhaps the most hostile environment in the American Athletic Conference.
So before the game he wrote the words "mental toughness" on the board in the UC locker room.
As Davis expected, the Bearcats needed both forms of fortitude to upset No. 23 SMU, 62-54, before 7,098 fans at Moody Coliseum, but he was right, the mental kind proved more crucial than the physical.
"I can't say enough about the kids' character and how they kept fighting when they were turning it over and it wasn't going right for them," Davis said. "I just kept telling them in the huddle, `Stay with the Bearcat way.' Mick built this program on that. It's what makes us win."
Davis, of course, was referring to UC head coach Mick Cronin, who was back in Cincinnati recovering from the arterial dissection that has sidelined him since Dec. 20. Even though Cronin wasn't in the arena, his feisty attitude was evident in the way his players handled themselves during trying times.
UC (16-6 overall, 7-3 in the American) was coming off a sobering defeat at East Carolina on Sunday, making the game against the Mustangs one of the most important of the season. SMU had won eight in a row since losing to UC, 56-50, at Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 3. The Bearcats answered the bell by claiming a road victory over a top 50 RPI opponent, an invaluable commodity as the NCAA Tournament approaches.
The Mustangs (18-5, 9-2) were led by Cannen Cunningham with 14 points. Guard Nic Moore, who averages 13.3 points, was held to eight on 1-of-8 shooting.
The Bearcats were treated to an outstanding performance by senior forward Jermaine Sanders, who scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds. They also got 14 points off the bench from junior guard Farad Cobb and 14 from sophomore point guard Troy Caupain.
In addition, Shaq Thomas made a key 3-pointer late in the game with the shot clock approaching zero and the Bearcats clinging to a 3-point lead, and junior center Coreontae DeBerry filled in admirably in the second half until Octavius Ellis returned after he was forced to leave the game with a sore knee.
"We knew we just had to stick together," Sanders said.
The Bearcats got off to a horrendous start when they committed 10 turnovers before the 10-minute mark of the first half, which limited them to only three shots. They fell behind by eight points and were on the verge of letting the game slip away, but regrouped, using their rebounding ability and their defensive prowess to remain within striking distance. They trailed by only five at halftime, even though SMU had taken 26 shots to UC's 11.
UC was fortunate that most of its turnovers were not the kind that resulted in transition baskets for SMU. Instead, the Mustangs were forced to take the ball out of bounds and contend with the Bearcats' formidable half-court defense, which they didn't do very well, making only 8 of 25 shots in the first half.
"We were throwing it all over the gym," Davis said, `but they stuck to the mantra, which is defend and rebound no matter what happens."
Sanders converted a 3-point play to start the second half and Caupain connected on a 3-pointer to pull UC even at 26-26. But the Mustangs recovered to take a six-point lead with 13:35 to go.
Again, the Bearcats came back, scoring seven straight points to take a 37-36 lead. From that point, the two teams traded leads of one to three points until Sanders scored four straight points to put UC ahead, 53-46. SMU got within three with 2:16 to play but Thomas answered with the 3-pointer that broke the Mustangs' spirit.
UC shot 56.8 percent for the game to 36.5 percent for SMU and out-rebounded the Mustangs, 32-25. The Bearcats committed 17 turnovers but only four in the second half and overcame a 28-14 deficit in scoring around the basket.
The key to the victory, Cobb said, was "just refocusing" after the loss at East Carolina. "We knew we were coming into a hot team," Cobb said. "Their only (conference) loss was to us and everybody plays better at home so we just focused in on the scouting report."
They also took to heart the words Davis wrote on the board before the game, with Sanders - the only senior on the roster - showing the way.
"Jermaine Sanders led us in rebounding, deflections and scoring tonight and that's what a senior does when his season is on the line," Davis said.
Said Sanders: "Everybody around the country knows that we're going to play hard and we're going to rebound. We didn't do that against ECU and we knew that we had to come in here and do that to win this game."
Bill Koch covered UC Athletics for 27 years - 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer - before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015 as featured columnist. Contact him on Twitter @bkoch.
The Bearcats return home on Saturday, Feb. 7, when USF visits for an 8 p.m. showdown. For tickets, call 877-CATS-TIX or visit BearcatsBasketball.com.