Postgame Notes: North Carolina Central at Cincinnati

2018-19 Cincinnati Men's Basketball Postgame Notes
Cincinnati (1-1) 73, North Carolina Central (0-2) 51
Nov. 7, 2018 • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati)
Emerald Coast Classic

Starting Five: G Keith Williams • G Justin Jenifer • F Tre Scott • C Nysier Brooks • G Jarron Cumberland

The Turning Point: The Bearcats never trailed in the contest and, after the early going, the offense started picking up steam and pulled away with a 13-3 run that closed out the first half of play, taking the score from 21-16 at the 5:13 mark to 34-19 at halftime. From there, UC added to its lead with an 11-0 run early in the second half to eventually build a 29 point lead with 11:48 remaining in the contest.

Leaders: Cincinnati had four individuals score 10 points or more in the game with Keith Williams leading the charge with a career-high 15 points in his first career start. Adding double-digit points for the Bearcats were Trevon Scott (12), Justin Jenifer (10) and Jarron Cumberland (10). The Eagles were paced by Randy Miller, Jr., who scored a game-high 21 points.

// TEAM NOTES

• Cincinnati improved to 1-1 on the year while North Carolina Central fell to 0-2 following losses at Clemson and UC.
• Tonight's game was a first round game in the 2018 Emerald Coast Classic.
• IN THE SERIES: With the victory, the Bearcats moved to 3-0 in the all-time series with the Eagles with all three victories coming in Cincinnati. Previously, UC has posted wins of 74-61 in 2013 and 59-50 in 2014 before adding tonight's 22-point margin of victory to the series totals.
• HALFTIME REPORT: The Bearcats were in a close game as they clung to a 21-16 lead with 5:13 remaining in the opening half. From there, however, Cincinnati went on a 13-0 run and closed the half on a 13-3 run to build a 34-19 lead heading into the break. Through the first 20 minutes, Trevon Scott led the way offensively with eight points while eight different UC players scored at least two points. Raasean Davis led the way for the Eagles with six points and seven rebounds.
• The Bearcats opened the game with an 8-0 run, holding the Eagles scoreless in the first 3:34 of the game before Larry McKnight, Jr., connected on a three-point shot to halt the run. That run was one of three that saw the hosts score more than eight points in a row on the night and first of two in the opening half of play to go with the 13-0 run at the end of the period. The third streak came early in the second half with UC going on an 11-0 run starting at the 18:04 mark.
• UC shot much better from the field in tonight's game, connecting on 58.5 percent of its shots in the game and 68.2 percent in the second half of play. Comparably, the Bearcats shot 27.4 percent from the field against Ohio State.

// PLAYER NOTES

• Keith Williams made his first collegiate start and finished with a career-high 15 points in the game, surpassing the 10 he scored twice last year, most recently against Western Carolina exactly one year to the day (11/13/17). Along with his point total, Williams set career marks in field goals made (7), assists (3) and blocks (3) while tying his career bests in field goal attempts (12), three-point field goals made (1) and steals (2).
• UC had four players in double-figures on the night, marking the first time that has happened this year and the first since March 4, 2018, at No. 11 Wichita State. In that game, Jacob Evans III (19), Cumberland (17), Gary Clark (11) and Kyle Washington (10) tallied the points for the Bearcats.
• Eleven players saw action in the game with 10 of those Bearcats scoring at least two points. Also, eight of those players recorded at least one assist while five tallied at least one steal and five had at least one block.
• Logan Johnson scored his first three field goals as UC player, finishing the night with a career-high eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and going 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Johnson got into the scoring column against Ohio State with a pair of free throws for his first collegiate points. With 8:41 remaining in the first half, Johnson scored on a layup for his first collegiate hoop.
• Cumberland has come alive in the second half of play in both games this year. In total, the 20 first half minutes he has played in two games has seen him tally four points on 2-of-9 shooting (0-of-2 from three) with one rebound and two assists. In the second half, however, his 27 minutes have seen him go a combined 9-of-20 from the field (5-of-10 from three) and 5-of-7 from the line with three boards, three helpers, one block and two steals to his credit.