 CINCINNATI 56, MIAMI 47 Miami had closed a 10-point second half deficit to 49-47 on a tip-in by Mavunga with 3:13 remaining. But Mbodj responded with a jumper and grabbed a defensive rebound when Will Sullivan missed a trey attempt at the other end.
Nearly 30 seconds later, Mbodj nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put UC up 54-47 with 1:33 remaining.. It was the first 3-point attempt of the year for the 6-10 center from Senegal.
“When he hit the three, I about fell back into my chair,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said after Miami’s 13th consecutive loss to the Bearcats.
“I thought our defense was spectacular (for the most part),” said Coles, noting the RedHawks kept Cincinnati’s usual main threats in relative check.
“Now this guy gets 12. That’s one you’re not expecting,” Coles said.
Mbodj led four Bearcats in double figures with his even dozen points. Eight of those markers came in the second half and five on successive possessions down the stretch.
Joining Mbodi in double figures were Yancy Gates (10), Dion Dixon (10) and Sean Kilpatrick (10). Cashmere Wright just missed the list with nine points.
Miami, meanwhile, had one player in double figures. Mavunga had 26 points and added 12 rebounds to record his 17th career double-double.
Normally a relatively good free throw shooter (71 percent on the year), Mavunga connected on just 3-of-8 against the Bearcats. Yet he was 11-of-16 from the floor and kept the RedHawks in the game after Cincinnati opened each half with a significant scoring run.
A Gates dunk at 16:18 gave the hosts an 8-0 lead to open the game. While the Bearcats cooled off some in their shooting, Miami wasn’t exactly scorching the nets.
What points it did get usually came from Mavunga. In fact, the senior from Indianapolis was the only MU player to score until Josh Sewell hit a trey with 9:45 remaining in the first period. Mavunga had six of Miami’s nine baskets as they hit 45 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes.
After its quick start, Cincinnati trailed off to 9-of-30 (30 percent) from the field. A 9-2 advantage in offensive rebounds, however, helped the Bearcats go into intermission with a 23-22 lead.
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin’s crew jumped off to another good start to open the final frame, scoring seven unanswered points before Mavunga slammed home a dunk at 16:47.
“We dug ourselves into holes in the first half and second half. Boy, we did some crazy things,” Coles said.
Aside from Adam Thomas’ first free throw point of the 2011-12 season, Mavunga and Jon Harris accounted for all Miami’s scoring until Quinten Rollins made a layup at 8:10 to bring Miami back within five points at 45-40.
“We need some guys to step up on offense and get us some baskets,” Coles said.
Mavunga’s tip-in closed the gap to 49-47, but that was Miami’s last points over the final 3:13. Mbodj, meanwhile, scored five points and Wright added a layup with :45 left to round out the scoring.
Both teams struggled at the foul line, each making 4-of-10. It was a narrow 28-27 MU advantage on the boards, but the hosting ‘Cats’ total included 11 offensive caroms to Miami’s five.
Cincinnati, which had 10 turnovers, registered seven steals, contributing to MU’s 15 turnovers. The Bearcats enjoyed a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
|
