Cumberland Scores 27 as Bearcats Top Wichita State, 72-62

By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com

CINCINNATI – Wichita State fired up 71 shots against the University of Cincinnati defense Sunday afternoon and missed 52 of them.

That's how good the UC defense was. Or maybe that's how bad the WSU shooters were. Probably the answer lies somewhere in the middle. 

"Our defense was good at some points," said UC guard Jarron Cumberland, "but other parts we got confused and they just missed open shots."

In the end, the only thing that mattered was that the Bearcats posted a 72-62 victory over the Shockers before a sellout crowd of 12,223 at Fifth Third Arena behind Cumberland's 27 points with former UC stars Jacob Evans III and Troy Caupain watching approvingly from the front row of the floor seats.

UC (21-4 overall, 10-2 in the American Athletic Conference) has won 24 consecutive conference home games at Fifth Third Arena and is 47-4 in AAC home games since the league was formed in 2013-14. Wichita State (12-12, 5-7) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end and was swept by a conference opponent for the first time since 2012-13 when the Shockers were swept by Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
WSU shot a scant 26.8 percent from the field, far lower than the 32 percent that Arkansas-Pine Bluff managed back on Nov. 27 in the previous season low for UC opponent.

"We held a team to 26 percent from the field," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "That's not easy to do."

Even with such poor shooting, though, the Shockers trimmed a 19-point deficit with 6:31 left to seven with 48 seconds remaining before UC's Keith Williams converted four straight free throws to put the game away.

"This season is about small victories for us," said Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. "At least we didn't fold down the stretch. We continued to fight against a really good team, a well-coached team, an athletic team. We just didn't have enough today. We didn't shoot the ball well. But much credit goes to them. They've got a great team, a lot of athleticism and size, and really defend well."

Cumberland matched his career high with six three-pointers. He also had six rebounds and five assists. Williams scored 15 for UC and Cane Broome added 12. 

Dexter Dennis led WSU with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Markis McDuffie, the second-leading scorer in the American behind Cumberland with an 18.9-point average, was held to 13 on four-of-15 shooting.

"Markis McDuffie has had an unbelievable year," Cronin said. "He looks a little tired right now. I really thought he got some looks that he didn't make. You've got to make him work for looks. What happens is you finally get open and you don't have the legs to make it."

The Bearcats led by 10 at halftime after wiping out a brief four-point deficit and quickly increased that to 14 in the opening minutes of the second half. The Shockers came back to get within six only to see UC go on a 16-3 run that gave the Bearcats the 19-point lead that ultimately was too much to overcome.

It wasn't all sweetness and light for UC, though. The Bearcats shot only 34.5 percent and were out-rebounded 51-42 after holding a 28-21 advantage in the first half. The Shockers grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and outscored UC 23-6 in second-chance half points.

As Cronin and Marshall both said after the game, when you miss 52 shots, there are a lot of offensive rebounds to be had. 

"But I would rather have them get 12 instead of 19," Cronin said. "We've got too many guys blocking out and not going after the ball. They know it."

The rebounding disparity was so great that Cumberland didn't hesitate when asked what the Bearcats need to improve on as they approach March.

"Rebounding," he said. "We can get way better than what we are right now." 

The Bearcats also continue to struggle scoring inside. Their two starting big men, Trevon Scott and Nysier Brooks, were a combined two for 14 from the field Sunday for six points. Brooks blocked five shots and pulled down six rebounds while Scott pulled down eight rebounds to match the eight that Rashawn Fredericks grabbed.

But Cronin made it clear that he needs his big men to score too.

"We've got to improve finishing around the basket," Cronin said. "That was the glaring weakness in this game and the Houston game. This time of year you can't look for whistles. When you get the ball around the rim you've got to score or get fouled."

Overall, though, the result was satisfactory. The Bearcats, whose loss to Houston a week earlier ended their eight-game losing streak, avoided a two-game losing streak and stayed one loss behind the first-place Cougars in the American standings.

Asked what he liked the most about his team at this point, Cronin said, "I like our record a lot. It's not easy to only have four losses in late February."

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.