Per GoBearcats:
The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team had a 10-point lead in the second half, but SMU’s home-court advantage proved too much to overcome in a 76-71 defeat on Thursday night.
SMU went 33-for-40 from the foul line, its most attempts since 2010. The Bearcats were 14-for-17, also 82 percent. The loss snapped UC’s 10-game win streak in the series, its largest against any AAC team to date. The last defeat was March 12, 2017 in Hartford, Conn.
“We put ourselves in a position to win against the second-place team in the league, and an NCAA Tournament team in a hostile environment, and that should be recognized,” head coach Wes Miller said. “Fight and perseverance are the standard when you put the Cincinnati jersey on. It’s expected, but that doesn’t mean every young person understands that. These guys have done a nice job continuing to fight, and in a difficult stretch.”
Jarrett Hensley’s posterizing dunk at 18:04 gave UC a 38-28 lead, its largest of the night, and forced a timeout. The Mustangs pulled within one a couple of times, but Viktor Lakhin drove for a three-point play at 11:21 to push it back to 48-44.
SMU gained its first lead of the second half on a steal and dunk with 4:20 left, up 63-62. Two David DeJulius free-throws followed for the lead at 3:26, and after two more SMU foul shots, Jeremiah Davenport connected on a trey for a 67-65 lead with 2:57 left.
The Mustangs answered with the next five points and never looked back.
UC held SMU scoreless for the first 4:04, and DeJulius scored 13 of the team’s first 20 points. Back-to-back triples by Davenport and Mike Saunders Jr. from the logo gave Cincinnati a 29-24 lead at 1:48, and the Bearcats ultimately led 34-28 at the half.
NOTABLE
-UC leads the all-time series 17-6, including 15-5 in the AAC era.
-Cincinnati’s bench outscored SMU’s 31-7 on the heels of a 24-0 margin at Houston on Tuesday.
-David DeJulius’ 21 points marked his ninth with 20-plus points and 22nd in double-figures, both team-highs.
-Jeremiah Davenport’s 17 put him in double-figures the 21st time. He also went 3-for-6 from deep, giving him 77 makes on the year.
UP NEXTCincinnati will return to action, and the Lone Star State, Thursday in Fort Worth for its AAC Championships opener. The full bracket will be released this weekend.
