By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kareem Johnson recorded career highs in points (seven) and rebounds (10). (AP photo) | ZOOM |

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Sometimes the sweetest wins are the ones you earn when things aren't going well and you have to find the resolve to overcome a lack of execution. If you can do that on the road, so much the better.

That's why the University of Cincinnati Bearcats were feeling so good about themselves as they walked out of Minges Coliseum on Wednesday night.

They had just shot a miserable 36.7 percent. They got no points from starting guard Field Williams, who averages 12.7, and just seven points from starting forward Jason Maxiell, who got into foul trouble and played only 28 minutes.

But still they found a way to win their seventh-straight game, 59-53 over East Carolina (10-6, 1-4 Conference USA) before 6,612 noisy fans.

"We're warriors," said point guard Taron Barker. "We're gladiators. We've got to keep fighting."

Digging deep has been a specialty for UC (12-3, 5-0) this season.

Armein Kirkland looks to pass as East Carolina's Moussa Badiane defends. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

With Williams struggling and Maxiell in foul trouble, UC coach Bob Huggins turned to guard Tony Bobbitt, center Kareem Johnson and forward Armein Kirkland.

Bobbitt came off the bench to score nine points, including a clutch 3-pointer with eight minutes left, the shot clock running down and UC leading by four. It was his highest output since he scored 10 points against Clemson on Dec.22.

"Tony's supposed to be a good player for us," Huggins said. "We were depending on him to make big shots."

Bobbitt, who has been unproductive since his 29-point outburst against Oregon on Dec. 17, said he's starting to regain his confidence.

Still, he made only two of eight field goal attempts.

"Tonight," Bobbitt said, "when neither of us could hit a shot in the second half, Huggs looked at me and said, `Tony, can you make a shot?' I said, `Yeah, I can make a shot.' I hit a big one to get the crowd out of the game."

Johnson recorded career highs in points (seven) and rebounds (10). Kirkland scored a career-high nine points.

East Carolina bothered UC all night with its changing defenses, bottling up the Bearcats most effectively when they were in a zone.

Senior forward Leonard Stokes, who led UC with 16 points, didn't convert a field goal until the 3:05 mark of the first half.

The Bearcats led by four at the half, 29-25, and increased that lead to 10 three minutes into the second half. But they were never able to pull away for good.

The Pirates trailed by only two with 2:11 to go, but UC held on, thanks to two free throws by Maxiell and four by Stokes.

"On the road, it's tough to get a win," Stokes said. "You take it any way you can get it."

For East Carolina, losers of four in a row after a 10-2 start, the loss was especially disheartening. The Pirates shot just 31.1 percent.

"We aren't there yet," said East Carolina coach Bill Herrion. "That's the reality of this."

Meanwhile, the Bearcats keep winning despite recurring silly mistakes and uneven performances.

"They play hard," Huggins said of his players. "All year, it was never a matter of them not giving us effort. We do dumb things. We just have so much inexperience, it's hard for us to sustain things."

Indeed, nothing comes easily for this team.

"It puts more pressure on us to see if we've got heart," Barker said. "This game is all about toughness and heart. We want it more."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

UC shuts down ECU star

Cincinnati	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Stokes	38	5	15	6	8	8	1	1	3	16
Flowers	8	1	2	1	2	0	0	3	1	3
Maxiell	28	2	6	3	4	5	0	4	2	7
Williams	27	0	7	0	0	2	0	2	1	0
Barker	37	1	3	3	4	6	6	3	0	6
Moore	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Hollman	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	1	0
Lucas	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hicks	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
Bobbitt	13	2	8	3	3	0	0	0	0	9
Kirkland	11	3	4	2	2	1	0	1	0	9
Johnson	23	3	3	1	2	10	0	2	1	7
Totals	200	18	49	19	25	35	7	22	9	59

Team rebounds - 2.

E. Carolina	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Mikulas	36	2	5	11	12	8	1	2	7	15
Badiane	28	5	9	3	4	8	0	4	1	13
Rivers	36	4	12	2	2	2	2	1	0	13
Wiley	35	0	8	2	2	3	2	4	0	2
Holcomb-Faye	40	2	7	2	2	3	6	3	1	6
Mackay	5	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	0
Rouse	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bing	18	1	3	2	2	1	0	2	2	4
Totals	200	14	45	22	24	29	53	17	12	53

Team rebounds - 3.

Cincinnati	29	30	-59
E. Carolina	25	28	-53

3-pointers - UC 4-18 (Stokes 0-2, Williams 0-5, Barker 1-2, Bobbitt 2-8, Kirkland 1-1), EC 3-16 (Rivers 3-9, Wiley 0-2, Holcomb-Faye 0-3, Bing 0-2). Technicals - None. Officials - Ware, Moore, Randall. Attendance - 6,612.