UC Bearcats hold off East Carolina for 21st win
Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 1:57 p.m. EST February 27, 2016
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin
(Photo: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports)
GREENVILLE, N.C. – With so much at stake, there was no letdown here this time for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Junior guard Troy Caupain scored a career-high 27 points and freshman wing Jacob Evans III had a career-high 18 points as the Bearcats beat underdog East Carolina 65-56 on Saturday afternoon, before a relatively small crowd at Minges Coliseum. Senior forward Octavius Ellis had his sixth double-double this season, with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
UC was upset 50-46 at East Carolina last season. While it did not prevent the Bearcats from making their fifth straight NCAA Tournament, UC this season is riding the bubble even more and cannot afford any missteps.
UC ranks No. 60 in the latest NCAA RPI standings, as the Bearcats try to work their way into the 68-team tournament field. East Carolina is No. 195 in the RPI.
The Bearcats’ final two regular season games are next Thursday at Houston (No. 87 RPI) and home March 6 against SMU (No. 12 RPI).
UC won despite missing two usual starters, senior guard Farad Cobb (knee sprain) and senior forward Shaq Thomas (groin). Cobb did not dress but Thomas did, with both sitting on the Bearcats’ bench.
Junior guard Kevin Johnson and Evans replaced Cobb and Thomas in the starting lineup. That meant UC played Saturday with only eight scholarship players.
UC (21-8, 11-5 American Athletic Conference) beat ECU (11-18, 3-13 AAC) for the second time in two weeks. The Bearcats won 75-60 over the Pirates at Fifth Third Arena on Feb. 13.
UC is now 6-5 in true road games this season.
UC built a 37-25 halftime lead, behind 14 points from Caupain and 13 from Evans.
The Bearcats raced to an 11-3 lead in making their first four field goal attempts, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
ECU fought back behind senior guard Prince Williams, who had 14 of his team-high 18 points early. The Pirates forged ahead at 17-15.
UC answered that with an 11-0 run, which put the Bearcats back in control at 26-17. Evans scored the final eight points of that surge, including back-to-back treys.
ECU had no inside game to speak of, on either end. Offensively the Pirates mostly were content to launch from 3-point range. All but one of the Pirates’ seven first-half field goals were from 3-point range.
The Bearcats had occasional early problems solving ECU’s 2-3 zone defense, but excellent passing and tight defense helped UC put some distance between itself and the Pirates. The Bearcats owned a 26-14 edge on points in the paint.
The Bearcats built a 45-29 lead coming out of halftime, but ECU clawed back on the strength of 3-point shooting.
The Pirates went on an 18-7 run – all on 3-point baskets – to trim the UC lead to 56-52 with 8:38 left.
ECU cut the margin to 56-54 on a lay-up by Williams with 5:55 left, before Caupain stopped the onslaught with a short lane shot. That put UC back up 58-54 with 5:10 left.
Evans canned a long 3-pointer from the right side to send UC ahead 61-54 with 3:14 left. ECU’s Caleb White scored to make it 61-56 with 1:18 left.
Caupain hit a basket and two free throws in the final 42 seconds to ice it, as ECU could not score again.
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