Bearcats perfect at home
Gary Clark had 14 points and seven rebounds in Cincinnati’s balanced attack, and the 18th-ranked Bearcats rolled to their 26th consecutive win at home, 65-47, against visiting Houston on Thursday night.
Cincinnati (26-4, 15-2 American) wrapped up its fourth undefeated season at Fifth Third Arena, which opened in 1989. The Bearcats’ home winning streak is the second longest at the arena. They won 41 in a row from 1997-2000.
“We knew it would be a big part of our success, honestly,” said guard Kevin Johnson, one of three seniors honored before the game. “We always try to put on a show here.”
They will play at Northern Kentucky University next season while Fifth Third is renovated.
Houston (20-9, 11-6) came in with the second-best offense in the league but came away with its lowest point total of the season. Rob Gray led with 17 points.
Damyean Dotson made a 3-pointer in the closing minutes, giving him the Houston record of 29 consecutive games with a 3.
He moved one ahead of Robert McKiver’s mark from 2007-08. The Bearcats took control by closing the first half with a 20-4 run for a 3720 lead, Houston’s lowestscoring half of the season.
Other games
SMU 93, Tulsa 70: Semi Ojeleye scored 26 points as No. 14 SMU (26-4, 16-1 American) dominated visiting Tulsa (14-15, 8-9 American).
Iowa 59, Wisconsin 57: Jordan Bohannon hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 9 seconds left, and Iowa (1713, 9-8 Big Ten) closed the game with a 7-0 run to win at No. 22 Wisconsin (22-8, 116).