The Sports Xchange
Nov 20, 2017
Senior forward Gary Clark had 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 12 Cincinnati to a 73-67 victory over Buffalo on Monday in the Cayman Islands Classic at George Town, Cayman Islands.
Junior guard Jarron Cumberland added 14 points for Cincinnati, which went 17 of 22 from the free-throw line in the second half to hold off the Bulls.
Senior forward Kyle Washington added 13 points for the Bearcats (4-0), who face Richmond on Tuesday in the semifinals.
Junior guard CJ Massinburg recorded 29 points and 10 rebounds for Buffalo (2-1). Junior guard Jeremy Harris added 17 points and junior forward Nick Perkins scored 14 for the Bulls, who meet Alabama-Birmingham in the consolation bracket.
Cincinnati had to sweat out a tight finish as Perkins and Massinburg connected on 3-pointers to pull Buffalo within 67-63 with 1:03 to go. However, Clark drained two free throws with 34.4 seconds left, and the Bearcats were able to stave off the Bulls.
Cincinnati led by 14 points after Cumberland's basket with 13:32 remaining, but Buffalo declined to go away.
Massinburg hit a 3-pointer to pull the Bulls within 62-54 with 3:51 to play and split two free throws 26 seconds later. Clark answered with a three-point play to push the Cincinnati cushion back to 10.
Buffalo jumped out to an 8-2 lead over the first 76 seconds, but the good times didn't last. The Bearcats responded with an 11-4 burst to take a one-point edge and later rattled off 12 straight points to take a 27-14 lead with 7:21 left in the half.
The Bulls crept back within 29-20 when Harris drained a 3-pointer with 6:21 remaining but Cincinnati answered with a 7-2 run to open up a 14-point lead before settling for a 39-26 advantage at the break.