TicketsFORT WORTH, Texas - Four players scored in double figures led by Jeremiah Davenport who tallied 19 points with five 3-pointers, seven rebounds and four steals as Cincinnati outlasted SMU 74-71 in quarterfinal action at the AAC Championship on Friday at Dickies Arena.
Fifth-seed UC advances to play top-seed Wichita State on Saturday at 3 pm ET on ESPN2. The Shockers rallied for a 68-67 win over USF earlier Friday.
The Bearcats led SMU 30-23 at halftime thanks in part to eight points from Davenport. UC grew its lead to 61-41 with 6:02 left following a pair of free throws by Mika Adams-Woods.
However, Kendric Davis helped SMU mount a near comeback, scoring 19 points during a 30-13 Mustangs' run that ended up three points shy of tying the game.
In all, Davis finished with a game-high 35 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field and 13 of 17 shooting from the free-throw line with four 3-pointers.
Keith Williams finished with 14 points and six assists for the Bearcats. Mike Saunders Jr. posted 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting with six rebounds. Adams-Woods added 10 points on a pair of threes and four assists. Tari Eason contributed nine points and seven rebounds.
UC finished with 19 assists on 23 made baskets, recorded 11 steals and shot 44.2 percent from the field.
The result marks UC's seventh consecutive win at the AAC tournament. The Bearcats entered the event as the two-time defending champion, claiming back-to-back tournament titles in 2018 and 2019. The last time UC lost in an AAC tournament game came via a 71-56 setback to SMU in the 2017 title game.
Fifth-seed UC advances to play top-seed Wichita State on Saturday at 3 pm ET on ESPN2. The Shockers rallied for a 68-67 win over USF earlier Friday.
The Bearcats led SMU 30-23 at halftime thanks in part to eight points from Davenport. UC grew its lead to 61-41 with 6:02 left following a pair of free throws by Mika Adams-Woods.
However, Kendric Davis helped SMU mount a near comeback, scoring 19 points during a 30-13 Mustangs' run that ended up three points shy of tying the game.
In all, Davis finished with a game-high 35 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field and 13 of 17 shooting from the free-throw line with four 3-pointers.
Keith Williams finished with 14 points and six assists for the Bearcats. Mike Saunders Jr. posted 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting with six rebounds. Adams-Woods added 10 points on a pair of threes and four assists. Tari Eason contributed nine points and seven rebounds.
UC finished with 19 assists on 23 made baskets, recorded 11 steals and shot 44.2 percent from the field.
The result marks UC's seventh consecutive win at the AAC tournament. The Bearcats entered the event as the two-time defending champion, claiming back-to-back tournament titles in 2018 and 2019. The last time UC lost in an AAC tournament game came via a 71-56 setback to SMU in the 2017 title game.