Late Wednesday night the Bearcats beat the Temple Owls 56-50 in a knockout slobber-knocker. Neither team shot the ball well. The score was tied at just 26 at the half. 26. Temple made just one 3-pointer in the second half, thanks to a much-improved defensive effort beyond the arch after the Marshall game.
Jarron Cumberland came up huge with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists when he was needed. He hit a beautiful step-back 3 down the stretch as the shot clock expired. Neither Troy Caupain nor Jacob Evans had a great night from the field. Yet Evans (and Gary Clark) paced the slow scoring Cats with 11 points apiece. Despite shooting just 33% for the night, UC came up with the W. The Cats held Temple to just 27% shooting.
Temple always plays us tough, especially on their home court. Recall that last year Temple swept UC, so sneaking out of Philly with a win is incredibly helpful.
If you didn’t watch the whole game, try to replay just the final 2 minutes. UC’s defense was tenacious and Temple couldn’t even get a shot off. That portion of the game was fantastic to watch.
This was a much needed opening win for AAC play. Next up, UC plays Tulane at home on January 1st at 7 pm. The game will air on CBS Sports Network. Tulane is just 3-10 on the year.
By Andy Smith