AAC Basketball: Cincy survives SMU scare to take first in AAC standings

A late rally by SMU was not enough, as Cincinnati’s win earns them sole possession of first place in the AAC basketball league.

The No. 22 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats stand alone at the top of the American Athletic Conference after holding off a late rally by the SMU Mustangs to win 66-64.

Down 66-64, SMU had two chances in the final 10 seconds. Sterling Brown shot a go-ahead three that rolled off of the rim. Ben Moore then tried a put back layup to tie the game, but that also missed. SMU had one last chance after a one-and-one miss, but the Bearcats hung on to get the victory.

Cincinnati tried to pull away early after taking a 15-point lead early in the first half. The Mustangs battled back and cut the lead down to seven at the break.

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The Bearcats continued to build upon its lead, trying to stay ahead. However, the Mustangs, who struggled with shooting in the first half, came alive in the second and closed the gap.

Jarrey Foster stepped up and got the Cincinnati lead down to 66-64 with an inside-out three-pointer with 42 seconds left in the game.

The hot shooting of the Bearcats during the first half might have made the difference in the game.

Cincinnati started knocking in three’s early. They made 5-of-8 three pointers during the first 11 minutes of the game, finishing 7-of-14 from beyond the arc in the half. Because of the effort, Cincinnati shot 12-of-26 from beyond the arc overall.

Troy Caupain benefited the most from the three-point effort. Caupain had 16 points, including shooting 5-of-8 from beyond three. Gary Clark had 18 points, while Kyle Washington finished with 11.

While the Bearcats made three’s, SMU struggled to make shots. The Mustangs started the game shooting 4-of-17 from the field. They improved and cut the gap, but not before finishing 8-of-27 in the half.

Sterling Brown kept the game from getting out of hand for SMU. The guard scored 20 points, including 13 in the first half. Brown also had 11 rebounds for a double-double. Semi Ojeleye struggled in the first half, scoring just two points. He did recover in the second half to finish with 12 points. Shake Milton had 13 points, while Moore scored 11.

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The loss for SMU snapped a 10-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Cincinnati continues their win streak, which sits at seven straight. The Bearcats have key early conference season wins now against SMU, Temple and Houston. They play East Carolina on Sunday. SMU will try to rebound on Sunday against Tulane.