Last night, in a game at the Shoemaker Center, very little could
stop the steamrolling, 14th -ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (19-5, 10-3
Conference USA). Coming off an important win over Louisville,
Cincinnati made the Saint University Billikens (14-10, 7-6 C-USA)
next on the conference block to be flattened by the Bearcat attack,
as they defeated the Bills by a score of 77-52.
“We lost to a great ball club,” said coach Brad Soderberg in a
post-game interview. “Cincinnati is the real deal.”
The numbers confirm that. They out-rebounded the Bills two to
one, shot over 50 percent from the field, and hit 40 percent from
three-point range.
The Bills kept the score close for the opening minutes of the
game, but it would not last.
At the 10:48 mark, Kareem Johnson broke a 13-all tie by hitting
a jumper that began a 13-0 Bearcat run that set the tone for the
game, as they maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of
the first half.
For a fleeting moment in the second, SLU nearly found themselves
within 10 points of Cincy. With just under seven minutes remaining,
Izik Ohanan hit a pair of free throws to make the score 48-59.
The Bearcats immediately responded with yet another run, capped
by a James White three and a Field Williams jumper, giving
Cincinnati an insurmountable 71-48 lead.
They continued to roll until the closing minutes of the
game.
The Bills were unable to find a sufficient answer for the
Bearcat attack. Reggie Bryant only hit two of 10 from the floor and
had trouble finding shots under Cincinnati pressure.
Tom Frericks, who separated his shoulder earlier in the week,
managed to pull down seven rebounds, but left the game for good in
the second half.
For the Bearcats, it was an all-out team effort. James White led
the way, pouring in a double-double, with 23 points and 11
rebounds, followed by Field Williams who hit six threes.
Senior center Kareem Johnson also contributed by tallying 12
rebounds.
but I’m disappointed with our loss,” Soderberg said. “We were up
against a physical opponent; but it should have no bearing on the
way we play–I didn’t think we played hard.”
Last Saturday, the Bills further proved turnabout is, in fact,
fair play. Having lost to the DePaul Blue Demons more than a week
earlier, after squandering a 21-point lead in the first half, SLU
came back from a 13-point deficit to deal the Demons their first
loss in six games.
The match started on an ominous note for the Bills, who were not
able to score a point in the first five minutes, until the 14:45
mark when Bryant hit a three.
With just under 10 minutes, Drejaj banked in a three, in
addition to being fouled, and was able to convert on the four point
play, to make the score 19-14.
DePaul then answered with sharp-shooting guard Drake Diener
knocking one down from behind the arc.
The Bills ran into another five-minute scoring drought as the
Demons quickly added to their lead, which would amount to 32-19 at
the half.
The Bills fought back in the second, with baskets by Bryant,
Fisher and Ross Varner to bring the score to within 10 with 15
minutes remaining.
Bryant, who has been battling with hot-cold shooting in recent
contests, managed to catch fire, hitting six of nine from beyond
the three-point line and scoring 25 total.
His three-pointer tied the game with six minutes left to play,
and a Josh Fisher jumper gave the Bills the lead for good just over
a minute later. Bryant iced the game hitting two free throws, to
end the game at a 69-62, a win for the Billikens.
In addition to Bryant’s heroics, Varner, who played the majority
of the second half, had his strongest outing of the season with 10
points.
C-USA is now beginning to take shape for postseason play.
Memphis leads the pack with an 11-2 conference record, closely
followed by Cincinnati and Charlotte, who are both a game back of
the Tigers.
The Billikens now stand in seventh and will probably not be
afforded a first-round bye in the C-USA Tournament.
Three games remain on the Bills schedule. Saturday they travel
to New Orleans to face Tulane to close out their second three-game
road stretch of the season. They then return to St. Louis to play
Louisville before closing out the regular season against
Houston.
C-USA Road Match
Who: Tulane Green Wave
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: New Orleans, La.
