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By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin couldn't wait to get home Saturday afternoon to turn on the video of the Bearcats' second-half offensive performance.
"In the second half, our motion offense was as good as it's been all year," Cronin said.
UC was so efficient that it scored 51 points and shot 63 percent after intermission while making five of seven 3-point shots in its 91-58 victory over Lipscomb before 5,724 fans at Fifth Third Arena.
Junior forward Gary Clark sprained his left ankle and was helped off the floor with 10:26 left in the first half. He did not return to the bench.
Freshman guard Jarron Cumberland, from nearby Wilmington High School, led the Bearcats with a career-high 17 points in 22 minutes, making four of his six shots from the field and eight of 10 from the free throw line. Kyle Washington (15 points), Jacob Evans (14) and Kevin Johnson (13) also reached double figures for UC. Point guard Troy Caupain scored eight points with five rebounds and five assists. He needs three points to reach 1,000 for his career.
According to Cronin, redshirt freshman Tre Scott, who scored nine points with nine rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots, was the reason UC's offense flowed so freely in the second half.
"I think a lot of that has to with Tre Scott's willingness to be a soldier for our team and get other people open," Cronin said. "It's like we've all got to jump in the pool and it's cold, and somebody's got to go first. Somebody's got to get in there and try to get his teammates open and not worry about himself, and Tre did a great job of that. The more it worked, the more it became contagious of guys trying to move the ball and trying to get each other open."
The Bearcats (5-1) produced a season high in points as they prepare to play at No. 21 Iowa State next Thursday night. Lipscomb, which plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference, fell to 2-5. The Bisons were led by Garrison Mathews, who scored 19 points.
UC was out-rebounded, 39-31, and outscored in the paint, 42-40. The Bearcats attributed the rebounding deficit at least partially to the kind of shots Lipscomb was taking.
"Long shots, long rebounds," Evans said. "They were just more hungry for the ball. With shots like that, sometimes you're surprised that he shot it and they just come in and get the rebound, but we've got do a better job of boxing out."
Washington took personal responsibility for so many Lipscomb layups, but Cronin said they were the result of his decision to guard the 3-point line, with the result being a clearer path to the basket for the Bisons.
"We elected to try to take the 3-point shot away from them, which caused us to give up some layups," Cronin said. "But I didn't want to have a game where they made 16 threes, which I think they're capable of. They came in making 10 a game so they're obviously capable of making a big number. That's how you're going to get upset if you let a team make that many 3-point shots."
UC jumped out to a 21-4 lead and never trailed. The Bearcats led by 12 at halftime and by 27 with 2:34 left.
Like most freshmen - Cumberland, who averaged 29.6 points last year at Wilmington - is still adjusting to the college game, but he already has two double-figure scoring games.
"He's a really good freshman," Washington said. "Coach gets on him about defense but if you look at it, he's really sneaky with his deflections and his steals and stuff like that. We always knew he'd score like that. It was just a matter of time before he had a nice breakthrough game. It's good that he's comfortable right before the Iowa State game because it's gonna be a hectic environment. We're gonna need everybody to pull out the victory."
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.