Field Level Media
Feb 10, 2019
Dejon Jarreau scored 11 consecutive points down the stretch for the 12th-ranked Houston Cougars, who extended their home-court winning streak to 32 games with a 65-58 victory over No. 25 Cincinnati in American Athletic Conference action on Sunday.
Jarreau had 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists off the bench for the Cougars, singlehandedly steering their offense during the waning moments. Defensively, Houston (23-1, 10-1) held Cincinnati (20-4, 9-2) scoreless over the final 6:11 to secure a one-game lead atop the AAC standings.
Junior guard Jarron Cumberland scored a game-high 27 points for Cincinnati, with his 3-pointer giving the Bearcats a 58-57 lead. Those were their final points of the game, as the Bearcats missed their final 11 field goal attempts en route to having their eight-game winning streak snapped.
Cane Broome was the only other Cincinnati player to reach double figures, adding 10 points off the bench. The Bearcats shot 33.3 percent and were outrebounded 42-36 by the relentless Cougars.
Senior guard Corey Davis Jr. scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half for Houston, which received 10 points, four rebounds and three assists from senior guard Galen Robinson Jr. Five reserves contributed 33 points off the Houston bench, with Jarreau shooting 7 of 12 overall.
Cumberland scored nine points during a 14-5 run that enabled Cincinnati to erase a 47-39 deficit midway through the second half. But the Cougars locked in on defense soon thereafter, with Jarreau engineering their offensive attack with driving layups.
Houston led by as many as seven points in the first half, inching ahead 19-12 on a Chris Harris Jr. dunk with 10:13 remaining only for Cumberland to drag the Bearcats back into contention. His 3-pointer 24 seconds later cut the deficit to four points, and Cumberland added another jumper at the 9:20 mark to pull Cincinnati to within 19-17.
Cumberland scored 11 points by the break, and combined with the Bearcats' defense, put Houston on notice of the challenge ahead.
The Cougars' final field goal of the first half came on a Nate Hinton layup with 4:09 to play. With 38 seconds remaining, Cincinnati led 33-32 when Nysier Brooks converted the second of two free throws. Houston needed two Davis free throws to claim a 34-33 lead at the intermission.
--Field Level Media