Pirates Just Miss C-USA Road Upset of Cincinnati
February 26, 2003 | Men's Basketball
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Jason Maxiell hit one of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left, lifting Cincinnati to a 53-52 victory over East Carolina on Wednesday night.
Bearcats coach Bob Huggins, who had a massive heart attack on Sept. 28, sat on the bench and stewed as Cincinnati (16-8, 8-5 Conference USA) struggled to build on the momentum of a 101-80 win over Louisville last Saturday.
Travis Holcomb-Faye missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer, leaving East Carolina (12-13, 3-11) winless in Conference USA road games since it joined last season.
There were six ties and six lead changes in a back-and-forth second half, with neither team ahead by more than five.
Gabriel Mikulas' jumper gave East Carolina a 52-51 lead with 3:54 to go, and Maxiell's free throw tied it. The teams then took turns missing jumpers and free throws.
Cincinnati's Field Williams missed a hurried jumper with 6 seconds left, but Maxiell got the rebound and was fouled. He made the first of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left for a 53-52 lead.
East Carolina got the rebound and called timeout with 1.8 seconds left, but Holcomb-Faye didn't come close on his hurried shot from the left sideline.
Maxiell led Cincinnati with 15 points. East Carolina had four players in double figures.
Cincinnati took advantage of tight officiating against Louisville, setting school records by going 42-of-58 from the free-throw line. The officials called a more typical game Wednesday night, and the Bearcats struggled.
Cincinnati was 9-of-18 from the line, while East Carolina went 7-of-15.
The Bearcats were trying to prove they could play two good games back-to-back, something they hadn't done since mid-January. By halftime, it was clear the Bearcats weren't up to it.
Cincinnati led only 27-24 at the break, allowing the Pirates to keep up.
The Bearcats ended a three-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma State on Feb. 9, then lost their next two. They emerged from their worst slump during Huggins' 14 seasons as coach by beating Louisville in a game that featured 93 free throws overall.
Williams made the only free throw in the first half Wednesday, completing a three-point play that gave the Bearcats a 25-17 lead, the biggest to that point.
The less-than-capacity crowd of 12,202 groaned when Holcomb-Faye made a 3-pointer, then had a steal and layup that put East Carolina ahead 43-41 midway through the second half, setting up a back-and-forth finish.
