On Tuesday night, the UC basketball team sent the Stony Brook Seawolves (what kind of name is that anyways?) home in blowout fashion, winning 78-52, after taking a commanding 38-23 halftime lead.
Shaq Thomas led the Cats with 14 points, including three high-flying dunks. Gary Clark contributed another 13 points and eight rebounds. Kevin Johnson added 12 points, and Troy Caupain had 10 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists. UC had four players in double figures for the first time since January 11, 2014. The Cats offense is continuing to get offensive production from different players on any given night.
The Cats went 7-11 (64%) from the three point line, and shot the ball overall at 53%.
Overall, this was a great performance both offensively and defensively. UC forced 14 turnovers and eight blocked shots, creating multiple fast break opportunities. Stony Brook was only 2-13 from three point land. The UC offensive also shot the ball very well on the night. However, the guards and big men are still having difficulty penetrating the lane and paint, forcing a lot of deep shots.
Whenever Mick Cronin can hold a team to roughly 50 points, he is almost guaranteed a win.
Next up – The Cats travel to Nebraska after an 11-day break to face the Cornhuskers at 9 p.m. on December 13th on the Big Ten Network. They then continue a tough weeklong stretch facing San Diego State and VCU at home.
Side note – At halftime, coach Tubbs addressed the crowd and urged everyone to come out to the de facto AAC championship game this Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium against the Houston Cougars at noon. He also gave everyone in attendance two free tickets to the game!
By Technical Writer: Andy Smith