Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Narrowly Edges Miami 59-58

The two rivals met for the first time since 2011.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Dec 2, 2021 8:25 AM EST

CINCINNATI — The Miami RedHawks and Cincinnati Bearcats sparked their hardwood rivalry back up on Wednesday night with electric results. UC squeaked out a 59-58 victory over Miami in their first true road game of the season.

"Over the last five or six days," Wes Miller said in his postgame press conference. "We didn't chance to get a big win against Arkansas and didn't play to our standard in effort and focus against Monmouth. To come out tonight and win in a hostile environment against a dang good basketball team on the road is what I'm most proud of and something we can build off of. There are so many tough moments in college basketball, as we saw recently, so you have to enjoy the good ones...I'll enjoy this on the bus ride back, but then it's back to work with film."

Every game it seems like a different veteran steps up to help the Bearcats stay afloat on offense. Graduate transfer Abdul Ado wore that hat against Miami and had a few other teammates catch up to him in the final minutes to outlast a program they've played more times than any other.

Here's the Three Man Weave on UC's 148th contest against the Redhawks

Abdul Ado Punishes The Paint

Cincinnati had a massive size advantage heading into this contest, and it brought a career performance out of Ado. The Nigerian-born center posted a career-high 14 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

Ado was everywhere on Wednesday night, keeping the Bearcats within striking distance through high-percentage shots and smothering defense on the other end. This game was a slog, with both teams experiencing multiple scoring droughts over three minutes long.

The center went to work on the low block against smaller, less experienced bodies, and the Bearcats couldn't have picked up their first true road win without him. Cincinnati outrebounded Miami 48-36—Jeremiah Davenport and Ado defined that edge.

Ado had a game-high seven offensive rebounds to Miami's 11 total as a team. From being in the right spot constantly to working hard for positioning with the ball in motion, the center brandished the MVP badge on Wednesday night.

Dialing Up Davenport

The Bearcats co-leading scorer against Miami struggled to find his shot over the past week, but he liked the curtain backdrop at Millett Hall. Three of Davenport's strikes from deep came at huge moments in the game, proving once again that the junior isn't afraid of big moments.

Davenport finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks after scoring just three points in the opening 19 minutes. The Bearcats are undefeated when the swing player scores in double figures. They needed every one of those points on Wednesday.

Non-Davenport players went 5-of-23 from deep, and the junior hit plenty of tough looks in his 4-of-10 performance. His massive kick-out three tied the game at 49 with 5:49 to play—then he shocked the crowd at Millett Hall.

Davenport dug deep and out-willed two RedHawks for a rebound off the front end of a UC one-and-one in the final minute. It's not every day you see a player outrebound two others on a free throw like that, but Davenport wasn't losing. Cincinnati went into a hostile road environment for the first time this season, and their best scorer answered the bell in every big moment.

Free Thr-Oh No

The Bearcats have now shot under 50% from the free-throw line in back-to-back games and it almost did them in against Miami. The aforementioned Davenport rebound took crucial ticks off the clock but they'd much rather make those shots than fight for a board.

Cincinnati finished 2-for-10 from the free-throw line. Ado (2-for-3) was the only player to make a free throw in the game.

"We have a lot of things we have to improve on," Miller said. "Our offensive execution has to get a lot better. Our defensive rebounding in the second half left a lot to be desired, and we should have secured some balls. We had some mental breakdowns in each half that were controllable. But I'm really pleased with this win in a hostile environment, and it's something that will make us better."

Cincinnati currently ranks 268th nationally in free throw percentage (67%) While placing among the top-third with 141 attempts (118th). The Bearcats are playing aggressively and getting free chances, but they aren't converting.

Wes Miller's team can start to make things easier on themselves by hitting freebies. They'll try to find some consistency at the stripe when the Bryant Bulldogs take them on at Fifth Third Arena this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

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