BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Antonio Grant fires his game-winning shot over Michael Horton, while Carolina's B.J. McKie and UC's D'Juan Baker watch. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

COLUMBIA, S.C. - They argued at first that the shot didn't count, but there was no disputing the four turnovers the Cincinnati Bearcats committed in the final 69 seconds or the 23-point lead they allowed to be wiped clean from the scoreboard. There was no doubt Antonio Grant's lethal three-pointer did not have to happen.

South Carolina's game-winning play was a mess, which, except for the fact it worked, fit the pattern UC established during the stretch of Sunday's game. With 4.1 seconds left, Grant inbounded from the sideline but could not find point guard Melvin Watson. Guard B.J. McKie got the ball, but nearly tumbled himself into a turnover as he tried to clear room to shoot.

As McKie fell, though, he swept the ball forward to Grant. Grant grabbed it, shot and was buried by a crowd of players and student fans as official Gerald Boudreaux signalled the shot was good and the scorekeeper illuminated the final score: South Carolina 67, Cincinnati 65.

''I'd rather lose by 20 than lose on a buzzer-beating shot like that,'' said UC guard Melvin Levett. ''It tears your heart out.''

As much as it pained them to lose at the buzzer, squander an overwhelming lead and miss an opportunity for a huge road win against the 13th-ranked Gamecocks (16-3), the No. 18 Bearcats (16-4) were haunted most by the errors that piled up near the end.

Kenyon Martin blocks Melvin Watson's shot. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

With UC leading 65-59, forward Bobby Brannen had the ball in the right post and was preparing to make it an eight-point lead when teammate D'Juan Baker tossed McKie to the ground. The foul put McKie at the line with 1:09 left, and he made one free throw.

The Bearcats missed the rebound of McKie's second attempt, and Kenyon Martin fouled Grant. He made both. In two seconds, the lead was cut in half.

Trying to work up the left sideline against USC's press, Brannen threw the ball out of bounds with 1:03 left.

Up one after Watson hit a runner in the lane, UC tried the same route to breaking the press. Baker stepped on the sideline with 37.9 seconds left.

All that seemed to be rectified when Watson drove across the lane and lost control of the ball, and Levett picked it up with 12.3 seconds left. ''I thought it was over,'' said USC coach Eddie Fogler. Levett advanced to the frontcourt, was triple-teamed and saw Brannen open inside. Levett passed him the ball. And then . . .

Rather than wait to be fouled or dribble away from Grant, Brannen tried to power his way to the goal. Grant drew a charge with 5.2 seconds left.

''I don't know where our minds were,'' coach Bob Huggins said. ''But I'm supposed to coach them, so it's my fault.''

The Bearcats attempted eight three-pointers in the second half despite being so far ahead, and only in the final seven minutes tried to get the ball to Brannen inside.

A three-point attempt would have been welcome near the end. After Levett missed a jumper with 1:45 left, the Bearcats never got off another shot.

Kenyon Martin was an imposing force in the middle with four blocks. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

UC defended about as well as possible in the first half, with Watson shut off by point guard Michael Horton and Martin knocking back McKie's penetration. Martin's four blocks came before the break.

Levett scored 14 of his 21 points and forward Ruben Patterson - who fouled out with 2:08 left - had 16 of his 17 as the Bearcats built their lead.

''They dominated us,'' Fogler said. ''They physically took it to us, and when we started to get shots, we were pretty much out of it and couldn't get them to go.''

The Gamecocks scored just three points in one stretch that lasted 7:25 and became the fifth team the Bearcats held under 20 points in the first half as UC took a 39-19 halftime lead.

''We were pretty calm,'' Watson said. ''We thought we took their shot.''

Then Watson took his, again and again against the Bearcats' man-to-man defense. He scored 13 of his 21 points as the Gamecocks closed to 65-64.

Huggins waited until four minutes remained to switch UC to a matchup zone.

But what the Gamecocks couldn't get with their offense, they picked up at the foul line. Or, in Grant's case, slightly behind the three-point line.

''I jumped as high as I could possibly jump,'' Watson said. ''I thought we were done when I turned it over. They gave us a second chance.''

UC stupid? Only for 69 seconds Paul Daugherty column
Notebook: Baker leaves shot at home

CINCINNATI (65)
                      fg    ft    rb
               min   m-a   m-a   o-t  a pf   tp
Patterson       26  6-13   3-4   2-6  3  5   17
Brannen         29   3-4   3-5   4-7  0  4    9
Martin          39   1-2   1-4  2-13  0  3    3
Horton          34   4-6   0-2   0-0  7  3    8
Levett          35  8-16   2-3   0-2  0  2   21
Myrick           9   1-2   0-1   1-1  1  4    3
Baker           16   1-5   0-0   2-3  0  4    2
Fletcher        11   1-3   0-0   0-3  0  0    2
Petrus           1   0-0   0-0   0-0  0  0    0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS         200 25-51  9-19 11-35 11 25   65
_______________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.490, FT-.474. 3-Point Goals:
6-17, .353 (Patterson 2-4, Levett 3-9, Myrick
1-2, Baker 0-2). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots:
8 (Martin 4, Fletcher 2, Patterson, Brannen).
Turnovers: 20 (Brannen 5, Baker 4, Horton 4,
Patterson 4, Levett 2, Myrick). Steals: 8 (Horton
4, Levett 3, Patterson).

SOUTH CAROLINA (67)
                      fg    ft    rb
               min   m-a   m-a   o-t  a pf   tp
Gallman         26   1-4   0-2   2-5  0  1    2
Grant           25   4-7   3-5   2-5  1  4   14
Stack           31   1-5   0-0   1-4  1  5    2
Mckie           35   3-7   7-9   1-3  3  4   15
Watson          38  8-17   2-2   0-6  3  2   21
Davis           10   0-3   0-0   0-0  1  1    0
Johnson          4   0-0   0-0   0-0  0  0    0
Nix             12   2-3   4-5   1-2  1  1    8
Williams        19   2-8   1-2   3-4  0  3    5
_______________________________________________
TOTALS         200 21-54 17-25 10-29 10 21   67
_______________________________________________

Percentages: FG-.389, FT-.680. 3-Point Goals:
8-19, .421 (Grant 3-5, Mckie 2-3, Watson 3-9,
Davis 0-2). Team rebounds: 6. Blocked shots: 1
(Stack). Turnovers: 16 (Watson 7, Grant 2, Stack
2, Davis, Johnson, Mckie, Nix). Steals: 2 (Grant,
Watson).
__________________________________
Cincinnati         39   26  -   65
South Carolina     19   48  -   67
__________________________________
Technical fouls: None.  A: 11,014. Officials:
John Clougherty, Gerald Boudreaux, Curtis Shaw.
                                                                        

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