University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
#13 Cincinnati
Memphis Halted By No. 13 Cincinnati, 83-79
Mar 06, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2004
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) - Tony Bobbitt hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, then made a pair of free throws that sent No. 13 Cincinnati to an 83-79 victory over No. 20 Memphis and forged a four-way tie for the Conference USA championship.
The Bearcats (21-6, 12-4) earned a share of their eighth regular-season championship by knocking off the conference's hottest team down the stretch.
Memphis (21-6, 12-4), Charlotte and Alabama-Birmingham will share the title, and DePaul could make it a five-way tie by beating South Florida later Saturday. DePaul would get the top seed in the conference tournament next week in Cincinnati.
Memphis had won 12 of its last 13 games, but couldn't come up with one more late rally.
Bobbitt, who was harshly criticized by coach Bob Huggins for his mindless play in a loss at DePaul on Thursday night, wound up hitting Cincinnati's biggest shots of the season and finishing with 20 points.
His 3-pointer from the right wing put the Bearcats ahead 81-79 with 36 seconds left. After Sean Banks missed a 3-point attempt, Bobbitt got the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws with 19.7 seconds to go.
Memphis missed three 3-point attempts in the closing seconds.
Banks scored 28 points - one shy of his career high - in a back-and-forth game that featured eight ties and 21 lead changes. Guard Antonio Burks had 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
Neither team could gain a toehold in a rapid-fire game of contrasting styles. Memphis held the biggest lead - 29-21 with 7:20 left in the first half.
Memphis leads the conference in 3-point shots and fired away against a defense that tried just about everything. Huggins went to a zone - something he disdains - midway through the half, but Banks, Burks and Anthony Rice hit consecutive 3s to put the Tigers ahead to stay for the rest of the half.
Huggins then put his team in a half-court trap, but that only led to more wide-open shots. Memphis shot 52 percent from the field and went 7-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half, good for a 38-35 lead.
Cincinnati took a different approach, working the ball inside the Tigers' man-to-man defense for close-up shots. Jason Maxiell finished with 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds as Cincinnati dominated inside.
Banks hit Memphis' first four baskets. Cincinnati stayed with its attack-the-basket approach and got a layup and a pair of dunks to keep it close - neither team led by more than five points in the second half.
Bobbitt came off a screen and hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key that put the Bearcats up 53-51 and set up a pulsating finish. There were five ties and 13 lead changes down the stretch.
