From tip-off to the final whistle, the Cincinnati Bearcats and Memphis Tigers put on a show for the fans at Fifth Third Arena.
The two teams traded leads back and forth for the majority of the first half and a bit into the second until Memphis was able to take control of the game with 15 minutes remaining. The Tigers kept a consistent five-to-10 point lead and seemingly could not miss for a large stretch of this ball game.
The Bearcats were not able to regain the lead from the 14:44 mark of the second half until the starting minute of overtime.
In the final five minutes of regulation, Cincinnati was able to create turnovers and control the tempo which took Memphis completely out of their comfort zone and ultimately pushed this game into overtime.
Late game heroics on the parts of Keith Williams, who threw down a dunk in traffic to tie the game at 71, and Tre Scott, who buried two free throws to tie it again at 73 stirred the Fifth Third Arena crowd into a frenzy which carried the team into the extra period with high confidence.
From the first shot in overtime, UC was able to control the rest of the game with relative ease. The Bearcats outscored Memphis 19-13 in the extra period by finding open cutters to the basket and a solid defensive effort all-around. Former AAC player of the year, Jarron Cumberland, was extremely quiet in regulation but was able to find his rhythm in overtime to help the Bearcats hold off Memphis.
The key player for the Bearcats was senior big man, Tre Scott. Scott finished the game with 25 points and a monstrous 19 rebounds. He was the best player on the court all night and he proved it going down the final stretch and into overtime. He was playing lights out on both sides of the ball and was truly the only reason that Cincinnati was able to keep things close and eventually come out with a win.
UC was able to find help from quite a few of their players tonight. Outside of Scott and his very impressive numbers, Cumberland finished with 15 points and dished out nine assists, Freshman Mike Adams-Woods added 14 points, and slasher Keith Williams put up 11 of his own including his late game-tying dunk.
To have a real shot at the tournament, Cincinnati has no room for error. With 8 losses this season, one more could put them on the chopping block and could mean watching March Madness from home. They have been inconsistent at times, but if Jarron Cumberland and Tre Scott can both heat up at the right time, I would be awfully worried to see them in March.
