Postgame Notes: Cincinnati vs. Cleveland State

Cincinnati Men's Basketball Postgame Notes
20/22 Cincinnati (11-2) 81, Cleveland State (3-8) 62
December 19, 2017 • BB&T Arena (Highland Heights, Ky.)

Today's Attendance: 7,988

Starting Five: G Justin Jenifer • F Jacob Evans III • F Gary Clark • F Kyle Washington • G Jarron Cumberland

The Turning Point: With Cleveland State trying to stay close, the Bearcats found a way to pull away with under eight minutes remaining as Cincinnati put together a 12-2 run to take a 72-56 lead with 3:47 remaining in the contest.

Leaders: Gary Clark (GH 18 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl), Jarron Cumberland (16 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), Kyle Washington (14 pts, 9 reb)

// TEAM NOTES

• With the win, Cincinnati improved to 11-2 on the year while Cleveland State slipped to 3-8
• IN THE SERIES: Cincinnati won the 12th meeting in the series tonight, improving to 12-0 in the all-time series against Cleveland State. The Bearcats also moved to 9-0 all-time when the game is played at home (UC is 2-0 all-time in Cleveland and 1-0 at neutral sites).
• The win tonight extended UC's nation-leading home winning streak to 33 games. The last time the Bearcats suffered a defeat on their home court came December 29, 2015, inside Fifth Third Arena to Temple in the 2015-16 AAC opener.
• With the victory, the Bearcats closed out the non-conference portion of their regular season schedule and marked the fifth time UC has won at least 11 regular-season non-conference games in a season under Mick Cronin (12 in 2010-11, 12 in 2012-13, 11 each in 2013-14, 2016-17 and this year).
• HALFTIME REPORT: Three different Bearcats scored eight points – including Nysier Brooks, who was two points shy of his career high (10), and Kyle Washington, who collected the 1,000th point of his collegiate career – to help the hosts to a 43-34 lead at the break. Despite forcing 11 Cleveland State turnovers and shooting 56.3 percent from the field while committing six turnovers, the visitors connected on 68.4 percent of their shots, including going 7-of-12 from three to keep themselves in the game. 
• UC held a 34-18 (+16) edge in rebounding margin, including a 15-5 advantage on the offensive glass.
• UC tallied 24 assists on 33 made baskets, tying the Bearcats season high and marking the fifth time they had gone over the 20-assist mark in a game. 
• UC converted 17 CSU turnovers into 28 points, the ninth time this year, UC has topped 20 points off turnovers in a game. Over the last four games, UC has averaged 27.0 ppg off turnovers.
• UC had 10 steals and scored 17 points on the fast break, tied for its best effort of the season (17 at Xavier) and the second-straight game in double figures (16 vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff).
• UC recorded five blocked shots and has stuffed three or more shots in every game this season 

// PLAYER NOTES

• Gary Clark was part of tonight's starting lineup, giving him 114 career starts. He is now tied with Cashmere Wright (2010-13) for second on the program's all-time starts list with only Deonta Vaughn (2007-10) ahead of the duo with 123 career starts.
• Kyle Washington joined the 1,000 point club toward the end of the first half of play as he scored his four basket and eighth point of the game. The senior scored 404 points during his time at NC State and has now scored 602 to bring his collegiate total to 1,006 after finishing the game with 14 points.
• Clark recorded five rebounds to raise his career total to 931. He also moved past Connie Dierking (1956-58) for eighth on the program's all-time ledger.
• Clark scored 18 points in the contest to bring his career total to 1,160 points. With those points, he moved past a pair of Bearcats to take over the 32nd position on the program's all-time scoring chart, surpassing Tom Thacker (1961-63) and Jim Holstein (1950-52), who accumulated 1,152 and 1,146 points, respectively. Next on the list is Rick Roberson (1967-69), who is 31st with 1,196.
• Nysier Brooks provided a spark in the first half as he scored eight points, leaving him one point shy of his season high and two off his career best. Brooks was 4-of-5 from the floor while grabbing two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 12 minutes of action.
• Washington finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, his second-highest total on the boards this year (11 vs. Wyoming). He has eight double-digit scoring games and has grabbed five or more rebounds six times.
• Jarron Cumberland totaled 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and a season-high three steals. It was his eighth game of the season in double figures and 22nd for his career. It's the fourth time in 2017-18 he has dished out four or more assists.