Upon Further Review: Bearcats Scratch Out 73-71 Win Over UCF

Multiple effort plays and two-man game lift Cincinnati to most important win of the season.

Author:
Alex Frank
Feb 22, 2023 7:14 AM EST

In this story:

DAYTON — In a two-point game, everything is important. Every play, every shot, every pass, every minute, every second... it can all make a difference.

The Bearcats' 73-71 win over UCF was highlighted by UC doing all the little things to lift them to the most important win of the season.

The biggest thing that stood out to me was the Bearcats' shot selection. Of the Bearcats' 53 total shots, a season-low 15 were from three-point range. In the second half, the Bearcats only took 5 of its 28 shots from three-point range.

Big men Kalu Ezikpe and Ody Oguama were tremendous filling in for Viktor Lahkin, who missed his third straight game with an ankle injury. Ezikpe played the hardest I've seen him play all season. From diving on the floor to corral the opening tip to dribbling around the world underneath the basket to creating his own shot with just under 11 minutes to play, the first-year Bearcat was instrumental in lifting Cincinnati to victory.

Ody Oguama had another perfect shooting performance, his second in three games. What stood out to me the most, though, was his connection with David DeJulius. Of Oguama's seven makes from the field, three came off of assists by DeJulius.

The two-man game with the high-ball screen is the Bearcats' offense bread-and-butter. Just imagine what it can be like when Lahkin returns, potentially tomorrow.

Jeremiah Davenport only had two points, but he made a huge effort play midway through the first half. With the Bearcats down 24-20 with just under six-and-a-half-minutes to play, Mika Adams-Woods missed a three-point shot. Davenport corralled a loose ball on the floor underneath the basket, subsequently laying it in to cut the deficit to two points.

The Bearcats' defense on UCF's Taylor Hendricks, a potential NBA lottery pick, was exceptional. Hendricks only scored 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, including just 5 points in the second half.

Basketball can be a game of runs. Two crucial runs by Cincinnati in each half won them this game. Cincinnati overcame a six-point deficit in the first half to build a three-point halftime lead, then stretched a two-point lead in the second half to nine points midway through the second half.

A continued effort like that should spell good things in Wednesday's battle against Temple. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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