TicketsCINCINNATI – Mike Saunders and Keith Williams scored 19 points each to lead Cincinnati but it was Memphis who withstood a furious rally late to earn an 80-74 victory on Senior Day at Fifth Third Arena.
Cincinnati trailed by 10 points when Malcolm Dandrige's dunk gave Memphis a 73-63 advantage with only 45 seconds left. But the Bearcats found a spark, scoring eight points over the next 28 seconds when Mamoudou Diarra hit a 3-pointer, then scored inside following a steal by Keith Williams. Saunders then stole the ball from Memphis on its next possession and found Keith Williams, who made a 3-pointer to pull the Bearcats within 73-71 with 17 seconds left.
However, Memphis (14-6, 10-3) made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to snap a seven-game losing streak in Cincinnati.
Five Tigers scored in double figures led by Boogie Ellis' 17 points and four 3-pointers. DeAndre Williams almost registered a triple double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Memphis won the rebounding battle 45-32 and outscored the Bearcats 24-5 in second-chance points. UC (9-9, 7-6) made nine threes and outscored the Tigers 25-12 in fastbreak points.
Saunders registered his best game as a Bearcat posting a career-high 19 points, including 11 in the second half. He finished 6 of 8 from the floor with a pair of threes and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. He scored eight straight points for UC early in the second half to cut an 11-point Memphis to three.
Keith Williams scored 15 of his 19 points after intermission for UC and finished with six assists, five rebounds and three blocks.
Mika Adams-Woods added 10 points for the Bearcats on 4-of-8 shooting.
Prior to the game UC honored its senior class, including Diarra, Williams and Chris Vogt along with walk-ons Adam Cook and Sam Martin and student manager Jack Keller.
UP NEXT
UC concludes the regular season Sunday, Mar. 7 at East Carolina. Tipoff is 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The Bearcats were scheduled to play host to SMU on Thursday, Mar. 4 but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the SMU program.
Cincinnati trailed by 10 points when Malcolm Dandrige's dunk gave Memphis a 73-63 advantage with only 45 seconds left. But the Bearcats found a spark, scoring eight points over the next 28 seconds when Mamoudou Diarra hit a 3-pointer, then scored inside following a steal by Keith Williams. Saunders then stole the ball from Memphis on its next possession and found Keith Williams, who made a 3-pointer to pull the Bearcats within 73-71 with 17 seconds left.
However, Memphis (14-6, 10-3) made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to snap a seven-game losing streak in Cincinnati.
Five Tigers scored in double figures led by Boogie Ellis' 17 points and four 3-pointers. DeAndre Williams almost registered a triple double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Memphis won the rebounding battle 45-32 and outscored the Bearcats 24-5 in second-chance points. UC (9-9, 7-6) made nine threes and outscored the Tigers 25-12 in fastbreak points.
Saunders registered his best game as a Bearcat posting a career-high 19 points, including 11 in the second half. He finished 6 of 8 from the floor with a pair of threes and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. He scored eight straight points for UC early in the second half to cut an 11-point Memphis to three.
Keith Williams scored 15 of his 19 points after intermission for UC and finished with six assists, five rebounds and three blocks.
Mika Adams-Woods added 10 points for the Bearcats on 4-of-8 shooting.
Prior to the game UC honored its senior class, including Diarra, Williams and Chris Vogt along with walk-ons Adam Cook and Sam Martin and student manager Jack Keller.
UP NEXT
UC concludes the regular season Sunday, Mar. 7 at East Carolina. Tipoff is 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The Bearcats were scheduled to play host to SMU on Thursday, Mar. 4 but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the SMU program.