TicketsCincinnati Men's Basketball Postgame Notes
21/20 Xavier (7-1) 89, 11/9 Cincinnati (7-1) 76
85th Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout
December 2, 2017 • Cintas Center (Cincinnati)
Today's Attendance: 10,817
Starting Five: G Justin Jenifer • F Jacob Evans III • F Gary Clark • F Kyle Washington • G Jarron Cumberland
The Turning Point: Xavier came out hot in the opening minutes and built a 15-5 lead just four minutes into the game. Cincinnati, which trailed by as many as 23 in the game, mounted a comeback late in the second half and closed to within nine points with 1:26 remaining, but was unable to move any closer in its first loss of the season.
Leaders: Jacob Evans III led the way for the Bearcats with a season-high 23 points as he was one of four UC players in double digits on the day along with Cane Broome (16), Jarron Cumberland (15) and Gary Clark (14). Trevon Bluiett led all scorers with 28 points while Kerem Kanter (17), Kaiser Gates (10) and Quentin Goodin (10) each also recorded 10 or more points for the hosts.
// TEAM NOTES
- Cincinnati dropped its first game of the year and fell to 7-1 overall while Xavier improved to 7-1.
- Despite the loss, Cincinnati still leads the all-time crosstown series, 50-35, while Xavier holds a 7-1 advantage in the series at the Cintas Center and 10-4 when playing on the XU campus.
- The Bearcats blocked a season-high 11 shots with Eliel Nsoseme leading the way with a career-high four rejections. UC's previous best was nine blocks against Alabama State (11/27/17), giving the Bearcats 20 rejections in the past two games. The 11 blocks also rank as the fifth-most in the Mick Cronin Era, surpassed by four games in which the Bearcats stopped 12 shots, the most recent coming Dec. 23, 2014, in a game against Wagner.
- UC committed just eight turnovers in the game, the third-fewest of the season. The two lowest totals are seven in one game (vs. Coppin State, 11/16/17 & vs. Alabama State, 11/27/17).
- The UC defense recorded 10 steals in the game, the second-most this season behind the 11 tallied against Western Carolina (11/13/17). It is just the second time this year the Bearcats have recorded 10 or more thefts in a contest.
HALFTIME REPORT: Cincinnati got off to a slow start shooting to open the game, seeing stretches of 1-of-5 and 2-of-10 in the early going. From there, Cane Broome found a hot hand and, with 12:49 remaining and UC trailing, 21-5, Broome scored on back-to-back layups to give the Bearcats a spark. Broome finished the opening stanza with a team-high 12 points while Gary Clark chipped in 10 points as well. With a score of 43-30, UC found itself trailing at the half for the first time this season while also scoring its fewest points in the opening 20 minutes of play, fewer than the 37 scored against Wyoming.
- The 43 points Xavier scored in the first half is the most UC has allowed this year in the opening half of play after surrendering 40 to Savannah State in the opening game of the year (led 60-40 at the break).
- UC had four players record 10 or more points in a game – Jacob Evans III (23), Cane Broome (16), Jarron Cumberland (15) and Gary Clark (14) – marking the fifth time in eight games this year that at least four Bearcats did so. UC has had as many as four in double-figures three times this season with the six against Savannah State (11/10/17) and the five against Coppin State (11/16/17) surpassing today's total.
// PLAYER NOTES
- Jacob Evans III scored a season-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 18 points in the second half. His previous best was 19 points scored against Savannah State (11/10/17) in the season-opener. Evans, who played a season-high 40 minutes, added a season-high two steals for the third time this year and the second game in a row.
- Gary Clark entered the game with 1,094 career points and, after finishing with 14 points on the day, moved his career total to 1,108 points, which ranks him 37th all-time in program history. He moved past Herb Jones (1991-92) and Dick Dallmer (1947-50), who recorded 1,097 and 1,098 points, respectively, in their careers. Clark is now 11 points shy of tying both Bill Lammert (1952-55) and Melvin Levett (1996-99) for 35th on the all-time list at 1,119 points. Also, Clark added one block in the game to bring his career total to 145, just one shy of tying Rick Roberson (1967-69) for sixth on the program's all-time ledger.
- Cane Broome tallied a season-high five assists in the game, surpassing the four assists he recorded three times earlier this year, most recently in the last game against Alabama State (11/27/17). Broome, who scored 16 points – one shy of his season-best – played a season-high 27 minutes as well.
- Eliel Nsoseme blocked a career-high four shots in the game, surpassing his previous single-game best of one (vs. Savannah State, 11/10/17). Nsoseme's four blocks ties for the most in a game this season for UC as Evans recorded four in the game against Alabama State (11/27/17).