Cougars start fast but fizzle at finish
A block by Gary Clark, right, is part of a 4-for-15 shooting night for UH’s Rob Gray Jr. in the Cougars’ 80-70 loss to No. 8 Cincinnati in a game they once led by 18.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Midway through the first half Wednesday night, it looked like the University of Houston was going to stop a couple of home winning streaks by Cincinnati — one from the last two seasons and the other stretching back to 1958.
The eighth-ranked Bearcats kept both runs going by pulling off their biggest comeback in coach Mick Cronin’s 12 seasons.
Jacob Evans III scored 18 points, hitting the pivotal shots during Cincinnati’s rally from an 18-point deficit, and the Bearcats pulled away for an 80-70 victory.
Cincinnati has won 38 straight home games, the nation’s longest active streak, over the last two seasons.
UH knows better than anyone how difficult winning at Cincinnati can be. The Cougars fell to 0-16 on the Bearcats’ home court and 2-30 overall against Cincinnati.
The Cougars (16-5, 6-3 American Athletic) stunned the Bearcats (20-2, 9-0) by getting eight steals and rolling out to a big early lead.
Gary Clark hit a 3-pointer that stopped the Cougars’ 26-7 run, and he added another 3 and a pair of free throws that got the Bearcats going.
“The next thing you know, it’s 37-26,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson said. “And then we started putting them on the free-throw line. We just had some tough things happen.”
Fabian White Jr., who had 10 points in the first half, Breaon Brady and Nura Zanna got into early foul trouble for UH.
“We have to keep them on the floor,” Sampson said. “That’s a tough deal for us.”
The Cougars faded down the stretch, managing only 14 points in the final 10 minutes.
UH’s Rob Gray came in leading the AAC at 18.7 points per game but managed only nine on 4-of-15 shooting as Cincinnati took away his lanes to the basket. He finished with nine points.
Corey Davis Jr. led the Cougars with 18 points. Devin Davis added 15 points.
Kyle Washington had 19 points to pace the Bearcats. Clark finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“The question I’ve had for this team all year is when the time comes, when the moment of truth comes, will we be able to take our game to another level,” Cronin said. “I thought that’s what we did tonight.”