Pirates Go Down Swinging At No. 12 Cincinnati

Saturday, January 20

Highland Heights, Ky.

4 P.M.

East Carolina University

8-11 (2-6)

Cincinnati

17-2 (6-0)

ECU

Cincinnati

January 20, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

RESULT
Cincinnati used its depth and interior game to wear down ECU and the 12^th-ranked Bearcats (17-2, 6-0 The American) claimed an 86-60 win over the Pirates (8-11, 2-6) at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University Saturday afternoon. Jacob Evans and Kyle Washington scored 17 each to pace the American Athletic Conference leading Bearcats.

TURNING POINT
The Pirates trailed by only five less than five minutes into the second half, but Cincinnati used a 15-6 run over a 5:28 stretch to push its lead to 14, 67-53 with 9:41 to play. Kyle Washington scored seven points for the Bearcats during the run with Gary Clark and Jacob Evans adding four apiece.

ECU PLAYER-OF-THE-GAME
Freshman Shawn Williams scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, burying a trio of 3-pointers … He scored 13 points in the first half, keeping the Pirates in the game … It was the third consecutive game in which he lead the team in scoring.

CINCINNATI PLAYER-OF-THE-GAME
Clark posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds with two assists, two blocks and two steals … He was 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-3 at the free throw line in 26 minutes of action.

KEY PERFORMERS
Isaac Fleming matched Williams with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting … Kentrell Barkley added 10 points and just missed his second straight double-double, finishing with eight rebounds … B.J. Tyson surpassed 1,400 career points with seven to become the eighth player in school history to reach the mark.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"We have to be able to sustain our play for long periods of time. We gave them a battle there for 30, 32, 33 minutes and really fought them hard. Their physicality, particularly in the paint, wore us down. That was the tale of the game." – ECU Interim Head Coach Michael Perry

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
ECU shot over 55 percent in the first half and was held to 30 percent in the second half and finished with a total clip of 42.2 percent … The Pirates' 60 points were the most scored upon the Bearcats in conference play this season … Cincinnati won the battle of the boards by 17 (46-29) and outscored ECU in the paint by 26 (50-24) … The Bearcats scored 21 points off 22 offensive rebounds and 19 points off 15 ECU turnovers … Cincinnati made 15 free throws, while the Pirates only shot 11.

UP NEXT
ECU will have eight days off before returning to action on Sunday, Jan. 28, against SMU in Dallas. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network beginning at 2 p.m. ET.