Tulsa Falls to Cincinnati in The American Quarterfinals, 80-61

Friday, March 10

Hartford, Conn.

6:00 pm

Tulsa

15-17

Cincinnati

28-4

Tulsa

Cincinnati

Tulsa Falls to Cincinnati in The American Quarterfinals, 80-61

3/10/2017 8:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Stephanie Hall

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Corey Henderson had 15 points and Sterling Taplin added 10, but it wasn't enough as No. 7 seed Tulsa dropped an 80-61 decision to No. 2 seed Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinals on Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. TU fell to 15-17 on the season, while UC moved to 28-4 overall.

"Give Cincinnati a lot of credit," Head Coach Frank Haith said. "They are a really good team and I'm excited to watch their run in the NCAA Tournament. I thought we played extremely hard in the first half, but we had some nerves and missed some shots around the basket and some three's. In the second half we shot the ball better. I am proud of how we finished the game."

"I think our effort is something we can build on and I'm really excited about the future of our program," Haith added. "I think now the foundation has been set for the future and everyone is going to get better."

Martins Igbanu added nine points, while Junior Etou and Jaleel Wheeler both had eight. Etou had six rebounds and Will Magnay pulled down five boards.

Tulsa shot 42-percent from the field, 33-percent from three-point range and 75-percent from the charity stripe, while Cincinnati shot 49-percent from the field, 40-percent from behind the arc and 66-percent from the free throw line.

The Bearcats had a 35-27 lead in rebounds, a 7-3 advantage in steals and a 4-3 edge in blocks, while the Hurricane had a 12-10 lead in assists.

Cincinnati got out to a 7-3 lead, but Tulsa evened the score at the 15:37 mark, 7-7. The Bearcats then inched ahead to 11-point leads four times during a 6:40 span off the clock, including a 31-20 advantage with 4:32 on the clock. TU cut their deficit to eight on a layup and a free throw by Magnay, but UC outscored the Hurricane, 9-2, to close out the period with a first-half best 15-point lead (40-25).

The Bearcats has as much as a 24-point lead, 57-33, at the 14:31 mark in the second half and earned the 19-point win.

Cincinnati was led by three players in double figures, including 21 points from Kyle Washington, 20 points by Jacob Evans and 15 points from Troy Caupain. Caupain had a team-best seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.

The Bearcats had a 32-22 lead in points in the paint, a 19-5 advantage in second chance points and a 10-7 lead in points off turnovers, while the Hurricane bench outscored UC's, 23-12.