Melvin Levett runs around the court celebrating UC's regular-season conference title.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Ruben Patterson scored the last point and took the first snip. He massaged the net with that final free throw, then helped chop it down in celebration of the Cincinnati Bearcats' undisputed Conference USA championship.
That was the only thing worth remembering about Saturday afternoon - well, that, the Senior Day celebration beforehand and the game-winning jumper fired by guard D'Juan Baker with seven seconds left to complete UC's comeback win over Saint Louis 61-58.
''Guys just weren't in sync,'' said forward Bobby Brannen. ''It was just one of those days. Guys' heads weren't really into it. We're kind of lucky we pulled it out.''
Before a capacity crowd of 13,176 at the Shoemaker Center, the No. 17 Bearcats (23-5, 14-2) were forced to recover from an 18-point first-half deficit Saint Louis built with no help from star freshman Larry Hughes, who picked up three fouls in less than five minutes and sat until halftime.
They had to recover again after Hughes stole the ball from UC center Kenyon Martin and scooped in a shot on the break to give the Billikens (20-9, 11-5) a 58-56 lead with 2:50 left. Saint Louis had three more chances but did not score again, whereas Baker hit a 14-foot baseline jumper to tie it with 1:35 to play and then the game-winner off a feed from Patterson with the shot clock about to expire.
D'Juan Baker launches the winning shot.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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SLU guard Jamall Walker dropped off Baker to stop Patterson when he drove into the lane, and Patterson reacted by tossing the ball to the wing.
''I was going to shoot it,'' Baker said. ''I knew the clock was winding down. I was open, took a step back and knocked the shot down.''
Baker finished with 13 points, joined in double figures by Patterson and his 15 points and sixth man Melvin Levett, who had 10.
Patterson played effective defense, joining with Levett to hold Hughes to 5-of-14 shooting and 13 points, and also stealing the SLU inbounds pass after Baker's last bucket from the hands of Virgel Cobbin.
Fouled immediately, he missed the first of two free throws, another example of UC's flagging focus, but made the second for a three-point lead. Hughes rushed up the court and launched a running three-pointer before the buzzer, but wasn't close.
Brannen suggested UC's 27-point win at Saint Louis earlier this month ''had a big impact. We kind of thought we'd walk out, step on the floor and walk all over them.''
It also didn't help to be playing so soon after Thursday night's draining win against UNC Charlotte, a result that clinched a tie for the league title and the No. 1 seed in next week's C-USA tournament at the Shoe.
Bob Huggins objects to the technical foul against him.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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''I didn't get a good feeling in the locker room,'' coach Bob Huggins said. ''I told them what was going to happen . . . but we were really flat.''
Huggins tried everything short of getting himself ejected to inspire the Bearcats. He debated his way into a technical foul in the first six minutes, complaining about a double-foul call until official Dan Fouser gave Huggins what he wanted.
''If you put that in the paper,'' Huggins said, smirking, ''the next time I do that, they'll think I'm tricking them.''
Through the first 11 minutes, the only UC player with a basket was point guard Shawn Myrick.
''Saint Louis plays good pressure defense,'' Baker said. ''They get out on you and get in the passing lanes, and coach let us know that when the guy's up on you, you have to go to the hole.''
Ruben Patterson is fouled by Chris Heinrich.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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UC had to scramble to finish in a seven-point halftime deficit, scoring on six of its last eight possessions and holding the Billikens without a field goal for the last 3:44. But Hughes immediately made an impact for the Billikens following the break. He drove the baseline and drew the fourth foul on Martin. Baker nailed a three-pointer from the right wing for a 38-all tie. Patterson scored twice in a row to give UC the lead with 12:55 left.
The Bearcats put together a 13-5 run that made it 52-44 with 8:34 to play. John Carson's three-pointer, though, was the last basket UC would score for better than six minutes, until Baker began his two-minute drilling of the Billikens.
''Last year, I was on a team that I'd say underachieved, and I know how bad that feels,'' Brannen said. ''This year, no one mentioned us in the rankings, and as we got all the suspensions, people counted us out more. I'd like to thank the people who stuck with us all along. To the doubters, I'd say, 'We did it.' ''
'Committee' misses point
ST LOUIS (58)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Cobbin 27 3-5 6-6 0-1 2 2 14
Luechtefeld 35 2-7 0-1 0-5 1 3 4
Baniak 13 1-1 0-0 0-2 1 5 2
Walker 24 1-3 2-2 1-2 2 4 5
Hughes 23 5-14 3-5 1-3 2 3 13
Heinrich 18 1-4 0-0 2-5 1 4 2
Frazier 27 3-8 4-6 0-4 0 2 12
Redden 9 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0
Robertson 14 0-2 3-4 1-1 0 0 3
Simmons 10 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 0 3
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TOTALS 200 17-46 18-24 5-25 9 24 58
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Percentages: FG-.370, FT-.750. 3-Point Goals:
6-13, .462 (Cobbin 2-3, Walker 1-1, Hughes 0-3,
Frazier 2-4, Robertson 0-1, Simmons 1-1). Team
rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: None. Turnovers: 14
(Luechtefeld 4, Heinrich 2, Hughes 2, Robertson
2, Baniak, Cobbin, Frazier, Simmons). Steals: 5
(Hughes 2, Baniak, Cobbin, Redden).
CINCINNATI (61)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Patterson 29 5-13 5-10 1-4 5 3 15
Brannen 37 1-4 4-4 1-5 0 3 6
Martin 22 2-2 0-1 4-7 1 4 4
Myrick 11 2-3 0-1 0-0 0 1 4
Baker 31 5-8 2-3 0-3 0 3 13
Levett 36 4-12 0-0 1-7 2 3 10
Petrus 27 2-3 1-2 2-5 0 3 5
Carson 7 1-2 1-4 0-0 0 0 4
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TOTALS 200 22-47 13-25 9-31 8 20 61
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Percentages: FG-.468, FT-.520. 3-Point Goals:
4-19, .211 (Patterson 0-5, Myrick 0-1, Baker 1-2,
Levett 2-9, Carson 1-2). Team rebounds: 2.
Blocked shots: 6 (Martin 3, Brannen 2, Petrus).
Turnovers: 13 (Patterson 4, Baker 3, Brannen 2,
Martin 2, Levett, Myrick). Steals: 5 (Patterson
2, Brannen, Carson, Petrus).
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St Louis 30 28 - 58
Cincinnati 23 38 - 61
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Technical fouls: Cincinnati 2 (Martin, ). A:
13,176. Officials: Don Rutledge, Jim Jenkins, Dan
Fouser.
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