Field Level Media
Jan 13, 2018
Jarron Cumberland scored 18 points as No. 14 Cincinnati pulled away in the final 10 minutes for a 78-55 victory against South Florida on Saturday night at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.
Cumberland was 7-for-11 from the field, making four 3-point baskets. The rest of the team combined for three 3-pointers.
The Bearcats used a huge margin in free throws, helping compensate for rough stretches shooting from the field.
Cincinnati was 27-for-31 at the foul line while South Florida went 12-for-16. The Bearcats' starters combined to make all 20 of their free-throw attempts while the Bulls starters made each of their four foul shots.
Jacob Evans added 16 points, Kyle Washington had 14 points and Gary Clark supplied 10 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati, which trailed 21-11 in the first half before climbing ahead.
The Bearcats (15-2, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) finally produced a double-digit lead on Tre Scott's free throw with 9:51 remaining.
Cincinnati ended up shooting 51.2 percent from the field.
Payton Banks scored 22 points -- one shy of his season high -- for South Florida (7-11, 0-5), which lost its fifth game in a row. He shot 7-for-10 from the field, making four of his five 3-point attempts.
South Florida was held to 17 points across the first 18 minutes of the second half.
The Bulls' starting lineup finished with a combined 21 point, yet South Florida kept this one tighter than in its most recent game, a 95-57 road drubbing by nationally ranked Wichita State last Sunday. All of the Bulls' AAC defeats, with the exception of a two-point loss to East Carolina, have been lopsided.
Cincinnati held a 35-33 lead at halftime. The Bearcats outscored the Bulls 17-5 from the foul line in the first half.
South Florida shot 40 percent for the game despite making 7 of 13 on 3-point attempts. The Bulls, who had only 22 rebounds in the game, were charged with 13 turnovers.
--Field Level Media