University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
#22 Cincinnati
Tigers Slip In Final Game Of The Season To Bearcats
Mar 05, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2005
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - James White hit an 8-foot baseline jumper with 16.2 seconds remaining to give No. 22 Cincinnati a 62-60 victory over Memphis on Saturday.
White scored after Armein Kirkland missed a 3-pointer, giving the Bearcats (24-6, 12-4 Conference USA) their sixth straight victory.
Memphis called timeout with 5.2 seconds left, but Rodney Carney lost the ball on the inbounds play, sending the Tigers (16-14, 9-7) to their fourth straight loss.
Cincinnati survived despite shooting 33 percent from the field and 18-of-34 from the line.
Kirkland led the Bearcats with 16 points. Eric Hicks added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and White had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Cincinnati held a 53-37 advantage on the boards, including 24 offensive rebounds.
Darius Washington had 19 points to lead Memphis, while Jeremy Hunt scored 13. The Tigers also struggled from the field, shooting 34 percent.
Through much of the game, Memphis coach John Calipari tried to find the right combination to bring his team out of its uneven play. At times, he looked to his coaching staff pleadingly asking who he should put in.
The Tigers led 35-30 at the half, after somewhat coming out of a shooting slump that has plagued them recently.
Memphis, which had struggled from the floor during the losing streak, got off to a slow start again, leading the Bearcats to try a zone defense that had been successful for Louisville against the Tigers a week earlier.
But this time, Memphis got untracked, hitting 3-pointers for a 13-4 run and a 29-21 lead in the first half.
Cincinnati was hampered by 12 first-half turnovers, even though they dominated the boards 26-15.
Kirkland led the Bearcats with 12, while Hunt had 10 for Memphis.
The Memphis lead was erased early in the second half as the Tigers missed their first nine shots contributing to 11 unanswered points for the Bearcats to open the half.
Cincinnati maintained the lead, despite trouble shooting, by dominating the boards. Routinely, the Bearcats grabbed offensive rebounds to keep possession. But the bulk of their points came from the free throw line as Cincinnati had only one field goal during a stretch of seven minutes.
Memphis was able to tie the score on several occasions after breaking the scoring drought, but could not overcome the Bearcats until Joey Dorsey's inside basket with just under two minutes left.
Two free throws by Jason Maxiell gave Cincinnati the lead back, but a 3-pointer by Washington tied the game at 60 with 49.7 seconds left, setting the stage for White's winning basket.
