Clark lifts Bearcats to a title
Late free throw seals AAC win for Cincinnati
Good thing Gary has a short memory.
After missing three consecutive free throws late in the second half, Clark knocked down what would turn out to be the gamewinning free throw with four seconds left as No. 8 Cincinnati held on for a thrilling 56-55 win over No. 21 Houston to clinch the American Athletic Conference championship Sunday at Amway Center.
It was the program’s first league tournament championship since 2004.
The win gave Cincinnati (30-4) the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats earned a No. 2 seed and will face No. 15 seed Georgia State in Nashville Friday.
“This is going to eat me alive for a while, but just focus,” said Clark, who rolled his eyes and covered his face before answering how he managed to gather himself before making the final shot. “I was able to chill and just do my routine and just try and forget about the other ones I had already missed before then and just have a short memory.”
Clark registered his league-best 12th doubledouble in the win — 20 points, 12 rebounds — while earning MVP honors on the All-AAC tournament team.
But as monumental as Clark’s free throw was, it was a Kyle Washington basket earlier in the game that set the tone for the win.
Trailing 55-52 with 58 seconds left, Washington stepped up and nailed a 3-pointer that tied the game and gave the Bearcats renewed hope.
“I’m really happy for Kyle,” Cincinnati coach Clark Mick Cronin said. “At the end of the day, Kyle making the 3-point shot to tie the game is really fitting because he puts so much time in, in the gym.
“He’s got the type of attitude you need to have to take that shot, and he’s got to continue to have that type of confidence and we made the right pass on that play as well, so it was obviously a great win for our team.”
Following Washington’s shot, Houston’s Devin Davis missed a 15-footer but Galen Robinson Jr. came away with the ball during a scrum under the basket. The Cougars called a timeout with 33.1 seconds left. Rob Gray took the inbound pass and held onto the ball before missing a 3-pointer with five seconds left. However, Clark was fouled by Houston’s Nura Zanna while going after the rebound.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson disagreed with the call.
“I would like to have seen that last play decided by the players on the floor,” a terse Sampson said following the loss.
He refused to answer a follow-up question about the officiating.
“I have no other comment on that play. That’s over with,” he said.
Gray turned the ball over on the final play of the game, sealing the Cincinnati victory.
Both teams came out red-hot from the field in the first half.
Clark started the game by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in the first two minutes.
Houston went on a 16-2 run, including four straight 3-pointers by Gray and Corey Davis Jr., to charge past Cincinnati 27-22 with 7:02 left in the first half. But as quickly as the Cougars raced out front, the lead nearly disappeared as Cincinnati buckled down and made a run to cut Houston’s advantage to 37-35 at the half.
Davis scored a team-high 15 points in the first half.
In the second half, both teams struggled shooting the basketball. Houston missed its first eight shots following intermission but maintained a slim lead despite shooting 20 percent (6-for-30) from the field.
Cincinnati wasn’t much better, going more than nine minutes without a field goal before making a late push.
Gray, who was also named to the All-AAC Tournament team, struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-22 including 2-of-9 from behind the 3-point arc. He finished with a teamhigh 17 points.
After the game, Houston (26-7) learned it earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and as a No. 6 seed. The Cougars will face No. 11-seed San Diego State Thursday in Wichita, Kan.
Wichita State, meanwhile, was the third and final AAC team to make the 68-team NCAA field, with the Shockers earning a No. 4 seed. Wichita State will face Marshall Friday.