UC rallied behind a ruckus Fifth Third Arena crowd tonight to escape with a victory over a very pesky UCF Knights team. Outscored 37-34 in the second half and down as many as 8 points, the Bearcats rallied behind a steady defense and Justin Jenifer. UC also shot 50% from beyond the arc to secure a 60-55 victory at home.
Ten-foot tall Tacko Fall finished with just 7 points and 4 boards. Keith Williams and Justin Jenifer tied with a team-high 12 points. Tre Scott came up huge with a key 3 down the stretch, as well.
Jarron Cumberland was just 3-13 shooting, finishing with 11, but adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists. If you ever watch the UC warmups, you know Cumberland is the last player on the court and he will shoot a corner 3 until he makes it. Normally, this is one attempt – not tonight. The all-star had an off-night, but that will happen. Look for him to bounce back huge on the road in Connecticut on Sunday.
The Bearcats have just five regular season games left before heading to Memphis for the AAC Conference Tournament on March 14th. This includes three road games, and a huge rematch against Houston at home on March 10th. UC sits at 2nd place, just one game behind the Cougars, making that home Houston affair critical for conference tourney seeding.
By Andy Smith