The Cincinnati Bearcats welcomed in a former friend Mamoudou Diarra and the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. The Bearcats were coming off back-to-back wins versus Florida Atlantic and Ashland University, were looking to improve on their 7-1 overall home record. The Bearcats were looking to end non-conference play with a bang and head into the holiday break 10-3 overall. The Bearcats ran out the same 5 they have all season in David DeJulius, Mika Adams-Woods, John Newman III, Jeremiah Davenport and Abdul Ado.
The Bearcats started off hot on the boards and the pain as Jeremiah Davenport picked up a couple of quick rebounds and four points to give Cincinnati an early 6-2 lead. Mamoudou Diarra got welcomed back to a standing ovation and got Tennessee Tech on the board first to give the crowd an energetic DOUUUUU cheer to begin the game. The Bearcats would get a 3 from John Newman III to extend the lead to 5. The Bearcats after their quick start and good shooting to begin the game, struggled against Tennessee Tech’s zone defense. The Golden Eagles forced some turnovers and were forcing the Bearcats to take some difficult shots early on. The Bearcats would work through that trouble though as the Bearcats put on the gas to go on a 10-4 run over the next 4 minutes highlighted by a couple of big 3’s from A.J. McGinnis and Mika Adams-Woods to push the Bearcats lead to 10. The Golden Eagles would get something going in the paint though after a media timeout. The Golden Eagles would get a couple of easy baskets in the paints coupled with a couple of Bearcat mistakes to cut the lead to 5 at 22-17. Cincinnati would be able to extend its lead though after getting active on the offensive boards. The Bearcats were able to get a couple of baskets from John Newman III, Jeremiah Davenport and Viktor Lakhin to extend the lead to 7 before a Mika Adams-Woods 3 pointer got the Bearcats lead back to double digits. Tennessee Tech did a good job in trying to match the Bearcats in momentum. The Golden Eagles were killing the Bearcats inside and finding easy shots under the rim something we weren’t acquainted with seeing from the Wes Miller Bearcats. The Bearcats got a nice alley-oop layup from John Newman III to extend the lead to double digits again and give Cincinnati a 37-26 lead at the half.
Stats at the half:
The Bearcats shot 40% from the field and did a great job in creating turnovers. The Bearcats forced 11 Golden Eagle turnovers in the first half. The Bearcats took advantage of their turnovers creating 10 points off those turnovers. The Bearcats also created a bunch of opportunities with points in the paint with 14 points coming from the paint. The Bearcats took advantage of their height and were able to propel themselves to a double-digit lead at the half.
Davenport – Nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and five rebounds
Newman III – Seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, a rebound and assist.
Diarra – Eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and two blocks
Wood – Six points on 3-of-4 shooting with two rebounds
Bearcats and Golden Eagles were active in the second half to start off as the two teams traded buckets. Mamoudou Diarra got to the free throw and cut the Bearcat lead to single digits early on in half. The Bearcats would run a very fast-paced offense at the beginning of the second half as after the lead was cut to 8. Mike Saunders, Jr. sprinted to the basket and put the Bearcats back up by 10. The Bearcats and Golden eagles stayed around the ten-point range as the teams continued to trade baskets for the next 5 minutes. The Golden eagles would make this a ball game though shortly after. The Golden Eagles were carving the Bearcat’s defense and a big 3 from Kenny White, Jr. cut the Bearcat’s lead that was once to 11 down to 4 points. The Bearcats did not panic though as Hayden Koval started to get involved and got a quick five points for the Bearcats and that was followed by a Mika Adams-Woods 3 to give the Bearcats a 61-51 lead with 8 minutes to go. Saunders, Jr. would get it going after the timeout as he increased the Bearcat lead to 15 after a quick runner and a deep 3. The Golden Eagles would cut the lead back to 12 after a 3 pointer, but the Bearcats would match it with a put-back on the other side to get the fans to their feet. Golden Eagles would get a little momentum with 3 minutes to go in the game as they got back-to-back baskets to cut the lead back to 10. The Bearcats were just too much for the Golden eagles though as the Bearcats walked out of this one with a 76-67 win over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
End of Game Stats:
The Bearcats dominated the glass to pick up the win crushing the second-chance points and opportunities. The Bearcats had 16 second-chance points and had 41 bench points.
Saunders, Jr. had a dominant second half and led the way for the Bearcats with 15 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the field. Adams-Woods followed him with 11 points and four assists to help carry the load in the guard position. The Bearcats needed the duo to step up as DeJulius struggled from the field. The Bearcats also got a nice game from Hayden Koval who had nine points in the contest.
