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By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI - Having seen their team absorb four two-point losses this season, it was only natural for University of Cincinnati fans to wonder if the Bearcats were about to endure another wrenching defeat when the score was tied at 67-67 at the 5:33 mark of the second half Thursday night.
Not this time.
With the game on the line, the Bearcats did everything they needed to do to secure the victory in the final few minutes. They took care of the ball, got defensive stops and seized the rebounds they had to have.
And with UC clinging to a two-point lead, point guard Troy Caupain stepped to the free throw line and made four straight foul shots to close out a 76-72 victory over Memphis before 10,320 fans at Fifth Third Arena.
"It feels good to win that way because the last couple that we lost were because of a rebound that we didn't grab or a box out that we didn't do or a turnover," said Caupain, who scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Bearcats. "I'm just glad that as a team we closed out the game. We did have those two rebounds off their missed shots and we didn't turn the ball over. That's how you finish games. That's one thing we've been preaching on the last couple days was to finish and I think we did that tonight."
UC improved to 14-6 overall, 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference while Memphis fell to 12-6, 3-2.
To make the night even more memorable, former UC great Kenyon Martin, whose No. 4 jersey hangs on the south wall of the arena, was sitting at court-side three seats down from the great Oscar Robertson, whose jersey also adorns the wall at Fifth Third along with Hall of Famer Jack Twyman's.
Martin, who said he was making his first appearance at the arena since he played his last game there on March 4, 2000, joined the Bearcats in the locker room at halftime and exhorted them on as they took the floor for the second half. He was one of a host of former players who attended the game and received a loud standing ovation when he was introduced during a timeout midway through the first half.
"That just brings us positivity," Caupain said. "It gives us happiness that the people from back then still come in and show us love. That just means we're playing not just for us but for them too. We're the new Bearcats now. We play for them too."
Caupain wasn't alone in his heroics. Senior center Octavius Ellis scored 10 points against his hometown team, including a tip-in that gave the Bearcats a 70-67 lead with 3:39 left. He also played outstanding defense in the Tigers' last few possessions.
And Shaq Thomas had a big night, matching his career high with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting with six rebounds.
"I just tried to be aggressive," Thomas said. "I've been struggling a little bit. I just tried to be in attack mode and hit my mid-range shot. I've been in the gym working on that and just tried to stay confident."
UC coach Mick Cronin has been urging Thomas to be more aggressive and the Tigers' up-and-down style of play helped the senior forward, who functions better in a free-flowing game than he does trying to grind out points in the half-court.
"I think down the stretch here Shaq is going to have to be a factor for us," Cronin said. "I talked to him about it. I want him to be more aggressive. You've got to believe in yourself and you've got to look to be more productive."
UC got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 12-4 lead, but every time it appeared as if the Bearcats were going to pull away, the Tigers would come back, largely on the strength of their 3-point shooting. They entered the game as one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the conference, having made only 29.6 percent from long range, but against UC they made 10 of 22.
Trahson Burrell made four of seven to lead Memphis with 24 points. Avery Woodson made five of eight from long range on the way to 18 points. The Tigers out-rebounded UC, 35-29, but committed 15 turnovers to 10 for UC. The Bearcats outscored Memphis, 16-10, in points off turnovers and 38-24 in the paint.
"We played well enough to win," said Memphis coach Josh Pastner. "We had our chances. We left it all on the floor."
UC went on a 7-0 run to take a 60-51 lead with 10:27 left only to see Memphis wipe out the lead in just over two minutes. The Tigers took a 63-60 lead, but Thomas' 3-pointer tied the score for UC. With the score tied at 67-67, Kevin Johnson made one of two free throws for the Bearcats. After a missed 3-point shot by Burrell, Ellis' tip-in made it 70-67. Caupain then scored on a driving layup following a missed jump shot by Memphis' Dedric Lawson to give UC a 72-67 lead with three minutes to go.
The UC lead was two when Caupain made two free throws with 1:08 remaining and two more with 11 seconds to play to clinch the victory for the Bearcats.
Cronin said he was especially happy for his junior playmaker, who committed the crucial turnover on UC's final possession in the Bearcats' double-overtime loss to Temple last Saturday.
"I told him you've got to keep fighting through it and you've got to believe in yourself because that's life in the spotlight," Cronin said. "Everybody's expecting big things from you and people want you to deliver. There's ups and downs. You're going to have to some tough plays at the end of the game and you've got to learn from it. We're not going to give up on you."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years -- 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer -- before joining the staff of Go.Bearcats.com in January, 2015. He has written a new book, a memoir titled, "I Can't Believe I Got Paid For This." The book is available on-line only at CreateSpace and Amazon.com.