AAC Basketball: Cincinnati defeats UCF, wins 15th straight

In the AAC basketball league, Cincinnati defeated UCF, 60-50, en route to their 15th straight win.

The Cincinnati Bearcats knocked off the Central Florida Knights on Wednesday, beating them 60-50, to remain undefeated in conference play. This win marks the Bearcats 15th straight victory and 23rd straight win at home.

Cincinnati opened up the contest very well, getting out to a 9-0 start and forcing Johnny Dawkins to call a timeout before the under 16-minute media timeout. Kyle Washington, who is coming off a career-high 27 points against UConn this weekend, had six points and three rebounds in the first four minutes of regulation.

Standing at only 6’9″, the junior defended Tacko Fall, a 7’6″ sophomore from Senegal, and held Fall scoreless through the first 10 minutes of the game. Fall didn’t even touch the ball for the opening six minutes.

The Knights switched into a 2-3 zone after the timeout. It took time for the Bearcats to adjust, as they only made one field goal in the first four minutes of when the zone was in place. Central Florida was able to cut the deficit to six, the slimmest Cincy’s lead would be for the entire first half.

Cincinnati gained serious momentum after Justin Jenifer nailed a corner three. The Bearcats went on a 9-3 run and earned a 12-point lead with four minutes remaining in the first half. The Knights were able to respond with an 11-2 run themselves and were down 34-28 at the halftime buzzer.

The Bearcats didn’t struggle in any area in the first half. Offensively, they were moving the ball on the perimeter excellently. They were able to create space and shots with ease via drive-and-kicks and swings. Additionally, the Bearcats played with urgency and were very unselfish with the ball, assisting on 10 of their 13 first half field goals while only turning it over twice.

On the other end of the floor, Cincinnati was superb on defense. The Bearcats forced six turnovers within the first five minutes of the game. UCF was only able to produce nine field goals in the first 20 minutes of the game.

On the glass, Cincinnati led in the rebounding battle against Central Florida, who is the second best rebounding team in the nation. Nearly half of Cincy’s boards were on the offensive end as well. Their impressive rebounding allowed them to have 11 more field goal attempts than the opposition in the first half.

The second half had nearly an identical start. Cincinnati opened up on a 12-4 run, primarily because the Bearcats forced four turnovers within the first three minutes of the second half. Cincinnati was up 46-32 with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Likewise to the first half, Central Florida responded with a run once Cincinnati held a commanding lead. The Knights scored nine unanswered points and cut the deficit to five.

Central Florida looked to give the ball inside more in efforts to keep the game close, but the Bearcats swarmed the paint with two or three bodies to prevent Tacko Fall from dominating.

UCF’s lack of depth was very evident in the second half. The Knights had seemingly a three-man team of B.J. Taylor, A.J. Davis, and Fall with no one else getting seriously involved.

Cincinnati held a double-digit lead for virtually the entire rest of the game and marched on to their 11th conference win.

Washington posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds and added four steals and two blocks on defense.

Fall had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights. Fall was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.

Central Florida has now dropped five of their last six games after starting off the season 14-4. The Knights fall to 6-6 in conference play.

Next: Hot and cold (Mike White rolling in Gainesville)

Cincinnati improves to 22-2 on the season and remain unbeaten in conference play. Their last loss dates back to December 10 when the Bearcats fell to Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

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