Cincinnati Bearcats prey on Savannah State Tigers
The University of Cincinnati Bearcats extended their winning streak to four games as they beat the Savannah State University Tigers 54-41 at the Fifth Third Arena.
Yancy Gates topscored with 12 points and had nine rebounds for Cincinnati, which dealt Savannah State its sixth loss in seven games. Cashmere Wright added 10 points for the Bearcats. Jovonni Shuler led the Tigers with 14 points.
Cincinnati unleashed a 10-0 run early in the game to turn a 2-3 deficit into a 12-3 advantage. But the Tigers countered with their own run to come within three points 15-18 with seven minutes and seven seconds remaining in the first half.
The Bearcats finally stopped the Tigers' run after Dion Dixon made a hard drive to the basket, which sparked an 11-4 run. The Bearcats ended the half with a 29-19 cushion.
Rashad Bishop waxed hot in the second half to extend the Bearcats' advantage. The senior forward scored eight points in a decisive 12-5 run. The Tigers briefly answered with four points but the higher-ranked Bearcats responded with their own run to pull
away. With Gates leading the way, Cincinnati extended its lead to 48-28 with 4:23 remaining in the game.
With their backs against the wall, Savannah State made an 11-2 surge to trim Cincinnati's lead to 39-50 in the final few minutes. However, the Bearcats remained steady from the free throw line to preserve their lead and remain perfect for the season.
"Well, defensively we can’t play much better, holding a team to 41 points. I wasn’t happy with our last three minutes. For the most part, our defence was tremendous. Our older guys are playing hard and smart," Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin said in the
post-game interview.
“Our guys are focused in. Our problem with our offence is we aren’t playing as hard on offence. That was our problem on that end. But we made free throws.”
Gates, for his part, said keeping their focus is the key to victory.
"One thing I learned, when we come out focused as a team, we look good all around - offence, defence and execution. When we lack focus, we can see it, the fans can see it, and you can see it. It’s about being focused night in and night out on every preparation.
When we are focused, we are a tough team," he said.
The Bearcats' next game is against Dayton at the US Bank Arena on Saturday.
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