TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers, 77-50, Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena. Jeremiah Davenport led the team by scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
It was the third meeting between the two teams, with the Bearcats winning the first two as well. The victory improved Cincinnati's overall record to 8-3 and their home record to 6-1.
The Bearcats (8-3) went on 11-0 and 10-2 runs in the first half to give themselves a comfortable 34-22 lead going into the break, which they extended after halftime. They didn't give up any points from 4:52 in the first half to 17:14 in the second half, going on a 9-0 run in that seven minutes and 38 seconds.
Mike Saunders Jr. was the one to spark it all, scoring seven of nine early points for the Bearcats to put them up 17-12. That was the beginning of an 11-0 run through 10:17 to put the Bearcats up 22-12. He ended with nine points.
From there, it was balanced scoring and shutdown defense that won the game. The Bearcats had six players with seven or more points, which is tied for the most in a game this year.
Just as Florida A&M cut the deficit to four points, the Bearcats shut the Rattlers down, holding them scoreless for two minutes and 53 seconds while extending their lead back up to 10 points.
The Bearcats went into the break on a 10-2 run, only giving up one basket during last seven minutes and 21 seconds of the first half. Cincinnati's defense was stingy, forcing 14 turnovers on the night.
An alley-oop off the inbounds pass from Saunders Jr. to Ody Oguama put a bow on the half for UC, holding the lead in double-digits and giving the team and fans an energy boost. That dunk was two of Oguama's nine points.
Davenport kept the momentum going in the second half with a jump shot and a pretty fade away three-pointer as UC made six of eight shots to get its lead up to 22 points.
The lead would explode all the way to 63-32 as the Bearcats dominated the boards and grabbed their own offensive rebounds, ending with 19 of those on the night.
FROM WES MILLER
"It just feels good to get back in the win column. I am happy for our players because it has been a lot of doom and gloom around here. Certainly I have not been in the best mood…we have been really demanding, as we should be, after the way we played and the way we have been. With that said, they have been trying pretty hard yesterday…longer than I have ever pushed them day before a game. I thought they were trying to respond and they did some nice things and you saw the things we were working on in practice, in film session Sunday and we saw some improvement there. It's good to see some of the things we value be successful on the court. I think that can help us gain some confidence and it's good to get back in the win column and get back on the right track."
NOTABLE
-Cincinnati (34-22) has led at the half in 10 of 11 games.
-UC was 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) at the foul line, its first time above 80 percent since the four games from Nov. 16-23.
-The Bearcats held the Rattlers to 30.5 percent from the field, building on their 7th best shooting defense in the country coming into tonight with 36.5 percent.
-UC leads the all-time series 3-0.
-The Rattlers (2-of-13) shot 15.4 percent from deep tonight, which is the third-lowest from a Cincinnati opponent this year and the fifth time its foe had three or fewer makes. Cincinnati came into tonight with the 15th-best three point shooting defense in the country (26.3 percent).
-Mike Saunders Jr. had a career-high six assists after setting a previous career-high of five against Xavier on Saturday.
-John Newman III had four steals, the most he's had since he had four against Duke on 1/14/20.
-Jeremiah Davenport's 16 points (14 in second half) were his eighth time in double-figures this season (UC is 7-1 in those).
-Mika Adams-Woods tied a season-high with 11 points.
-AJ McGinnis scored a season-high seven points, his first points since the Alabama A&M game on Nov. 16. He saw one minute of action vs. Xavier on Saturday in his return from injury.
NEXT UP
The Bearcats stay home to host Texas Southern on Dec. 18 at 12 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
It was the third meeting between the two teams, with the Bearcats winning the first two as well. The victory improved Cincinnati's overall record to 8-3 and their home record to 6-1.
The Bearcats (8-3) went on 11-0 and 10-2 runs in the first half to give themselves a comfortable 34-22 lead going into the break, which they extended after halftime. They didn't give up any points from 4:52 in the first half to 17:14 in the second half, going on a 9-0 run in that seven minutes and 38 seconds.
Mike Saunders Jr. was the one to spark it all, scoring seven of nine early points for the Bearcats to put them up 17-12. That was the beginning of an 11-0 run through 10:17 to put the Bearcats up 22-12. He ended with nine points.
From there, it was balanced scoring and shutdown defense that won the game. The Bearcats had six players with seven or more points, which is tied for the most in a game this year.
Just as Florida A&M cut the deficit to four points, the Bearcats shut the Rattlers down, holding them scoreless for two minutes and 53 seconds while extending their lead back up to 10 points.
The Bearcats went into the break on a 10-2 run, only giving up one basket during last seven minutes and 21 seconds of the first half. Cincinnati's defense was stingy, forcing 14 turnovers on the night.
An alley-oop off the inbounds pass from Saunders Jr. to Ody Oguama put a bow on the half for UC, holding the lead in double-digits and giving the team and fans an energy boost. That dunk was two of Oguama's nine points.
Davenport kept the momentum going in the second half with a jump shot and a pretty fade away three-pointer as UC made six of eight shots to get its lead up to 22 points.
The lead would explode all the way to 63-32 as the Bearcats dominated the boards and grabbed their own offensive rebounds, ending with 19 of those on the night.
FROM WES MILLER
"It just feels good to get back in the win column. I am happy for our players because it has been a lot of doom and gloom around here. Certainly I have not been in the best mood…we have been really demanding, as we should be, after the way we played and the way we have been. With that said, they have been trying pretty hard yesterday…longer than I have ever pushed them day before a game. I thought they were trying to respond and they did some nice things and you saw the things we were working on in practice, in film session Sunday and we saw some improvement there. It's good to see some of the things we value be successful on the court. I think that can help us gain some confidence and it's good to get back in the win column and get back on the right track."
NOTABLE
-Cincinnati (34-22) has led at the half in 10 of 11 games.
-UC was 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) at the foul line, its first time above 80 percent since the four games from Nov. 16-23.
-The Bearcats held the Rattlers to 30.5 percent from the field, building on their 7th best shooting defense in the country coming into tonight with 36.5 percent.
-UC leads the all-time series 3-0.
-The Rattlers (2-of-13) shot 15.4 percent from deep tonight, which is the third-lowest from a Cincinnati opponent this year and the fifth time its foe had three or fewer makes. Cincinnati came into tonight with the 15th-best three point shooting defense in the country (26.3 percent).
-Mike Saunders Jr. had a career-high six assists after setting a previous career-high of five against Xavier on Saturday.
-John Newman III had four steals, the most he's had since he had four against Duke on 1/14/20.
-Jeremiah Davenport's 16 points (14 in second half) were his eighth time in double-figures this season (UC is 7-1 in those).
-Mika Adams-Woods tied a season-high with 11 points.
-AJ McGinnis scored a season-high seven points, his first points since the Alabama A&M game on Nov. 16. He saw one minute of action vs. Xavier on Saturday in his return from injury.
NEXT UP
The Bearcats stay home to host Texas Southern on Dec. 18 at 12 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.