Cincinnati Bearcats Win Final Tune Up 71-54 Over Fairmont State
By Chris Bains
The Cincinnati Bearcats won their final exhibition game this afternoon over the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons 71-54. Many of the same issues that plagued this team against Bellarmine on Monday night reared their ugly head today.
UC got off to a glacially slow start, scoring just 10 points in the first eight minutes and going down 30-29 at halftime. But Cincinnati’s talent disparity took over in the second half, overwhelming Fairmont State with their size and speed to take a 71-54 victory. Once again the Bearcats were taken to the woodshed by a more complete offensive team. I have to believe doing so was by design. Testing this defense when the games don’t count allows Mick Cronin and his staff to understand their players’ flaws on film and make the necessary corrections.
Among the notable players, Octavius Ellis again filled up the box score with his team leading 16 points and 10 boards. Quadri Moore also gave Cincinnati good minutes today (7 points, 2 boards), despite his defensive lapses, and as of now it looks like that pairing will earn most of the playing time in the front court this season. Shaq Thomas also had an encouraging game, displaying aggression with the ball in his hand to put up 13 points on 6-11 shooting.
Troy Caupain, Kevin Johnson, Jermaine Sanders, Moore, and Ellis started this game and I’d expect we’ll see a similar lineup when the Bearcats open up their 2014-15 regular season against St. Francis next Friday at 8 pm.