The game started painfully slow. Cincinnati led 4 – 0 five minutes into the game and both teams combined for just 14 points halfway through the first half. Neither team could find a semblance of rhythm until the Bearcats’ shooters finally got hot. Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright tallied 7 and 5 points respectively to key a 18 – 10 run that put UC up 12 at halftime. It was just the kind of burst Cincinnati needed to take complete control of the game.
Like most nights the Bearcats can rely on their defense to show up and frustrate opposing offenses. Tonight they held Rutgers’ most dangerous shooter Eli Carter to just 6 points. He went just 1 – 11 from the field and the one shot he made didn’t come until under a minute left in the game. But the difference against the Scarlet Knights was the interior play on offense from Cincinnati’s big men. They exerted themselves in the paint and at one point led 15 – 6 in offensive rebounds. That was critical in the Bearcats controlling the pace of this game. Is tonight an indication of the Bearcats finally righting the ship? Potentially, yes, but I need to see more consistent performances out of this team to make that call in confidence.