TicketsST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Jarron Cumberland's driving layup with eight seconds left capped a late-game rally sending Cincinnati (3-1) to a 66-65 victory over Illinois State (2-2) Friday in the opening round of the Paradise Jam at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
Illinois State led for more than 32 minutes in the game and were up 59-49 with 7:48 remaining when the Bearcats mounted their comeback, outscoring the Redbirds 17-6 the rest of the way.
Cumberland scored seven of his game-high 23 points during the rally, including UC's only 3-pointer of the game with 2:56 to go. He finished 5 of 16 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range but made 12 of 17 free throws for the game.
Keith Williams had a pair of baskets and two free throws during the comeback to finish with 12 points.
Trevon Scott's dunk with 34 seconds left gave the Bearcats a 64-63 lead, their first since early in the first half. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Matt Chastain's dunk with 20 seconds left helped Illinois State regain the lead at 65-64, setting up Cumberland's game-deciding basket for the Bearcats.
UC's Chris Vogt recorded his second consecutive double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Illinois State led by as many as seven points in the first half, shooting 48.1 percent from the field while UC shot 39.3 percent from the floor, missing all 10 of its attempts from 3-point range.
The Bearcats improved their shooting in the second half, making 52.4 percent from the floor while the Redbirds connected on 40 percent from the field after intermission.
Cincinnati finished 21 of 30 from the free throw line, including 13 of 20 during the second half. The Bearcats won the battle in the paint 40-30 for the game.
The Redbirds were led in scoring by Dedric Boyd's 19 points.
The Bearcats will play Bowling Green (4-1) on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast via a stream on FloHoops.com and 700 WLW. Bowling Green outlasted WKU 77-75 in the tournament nightcap Friday.
Illinois State led for more than 32 minutes in the game and were up 59-49 with 7:48 remaining when the Bearcats mounted their comeback, outscoring the Redbirds 17-6 the rest of the way.
Cumberland scored seven of his game-high 23 points during the rally, including UC's only 3-pointer of the game with 2:56 to go. He finished 5 of 16 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range but made 12 of 17 free throws for the game.
Keith Williams had a pair of baskets and two free throws during the comeback to finish with 12 points.
Trevon Scott's dunk with 34 seconds left gave the Bearcats a 64-63 lead, their first since early in the first half. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Matt Chastain's dunk with 20 seconds left helped Illinois State regain the lead at 65-64, setting up Cumberland's game-deciding basket for the Bearcats.
UC's Chris Vogt recorded his second consecutive double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Illinois State led by as many as seven points in the first half, shooting 48.1 percent from the field while UC shot 39.3 percent from the floor, missing all 10 of its attempts from 3-point range.
The Bearcats improved their shooting in the second half, making 52.4 percent from the floor while the Redbirds connected on 40 percent from the field after intermission.
Cincinnati finished 21 of 30 from the free throw line, including 13 of 20 during the second half. The Bearcats won the battle in the paint 40-30 for the game.
The Redbirds were led in scoring by Dedric Boyd's 19 points.
The Bearcats will play Bowling Green (4-1) on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast via a stream on FloHoops.com and 700 WLW. Bowling Green outlasted WKU 77-75 in the tournament nightcap Friday.