 "Photo: The News Record")
In its final game of the regular season, the University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team lost to the No. 20 Georgetown Hoyas in a 74-47 blowout Saturday, March 6.
Missed free throws, turnovers and rebounding were all problems for the Bearcats.
“There’s nothing to say,” said Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin. “I told the team we all need to go look in a mirror and take responsibility.”
The Bearcats have been struggling all year to be proficient from the free-throw line and continued to struggle against the Hoyas, going just 7 of 17 from the charity stripe.
The Bearcats were also outrebounded 37-25 and committed 16 turnovers, giving Georgetown ample opportunities for easy points.
“At the end of the day for us, we have to be able to score the ball around the basket and score some open shots,” Cronin said. “And then you have to be able step up to the free-throw line and make shots.”
Both teams came out strong offensively in the first half, shooting better than 40 percent from the field.
The Bearcats and the Hoyas traded baskets the entire first half, and with the biggest lead of the half being just four points, no team was able to break away with a significant advantage.
After a 3-point buzzer-beater by UC freshman Cashmere Wright, the Bearcats finished the half trailing Georgetown 26-29.
At the start of the second half both teams continued to trade baskets. However, four minutes into the half the Bearcats went into an offensive slump while the Hoyas started to heat up offensively.
The Hoyas were able to go on a 21-4 run to put the game out of Cincinnati’s reach and coast the rest of the game to secure the win.
“You can’t get beat by 24 in the second half. There’s no excuse for that, bottom line,” Cronin said. “That’s what happens when you turn the ball over, forcing passes to guys who aren’t there, carelessness with the basketball, you name it. You especially can’t do this when you’re on the road against a team that’s rolling on all cylinders.”
Georgetown junior guard Austin Freeman led the Hoyas with a game-high 24 points and went 4 of 7 from 3-point range in his first game back since being diagnosed with diabetes Thursday, March 4.
Sophomore center Greg Monroe added 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for Georgetown, which had four players score 11 or more points.
Bearcat freshman Lance Stephenson led Cincinnati with a career-high 23 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Stephenson connected on 11 of his 17 shot attempts, but his teammates combined to make only eight baskets, going a combined 8 of 32 from the field.
Sophomore forward Yancy Gates was the next highest scorer for UC with seven points.
“We got to be able to rely on someone to put the ball in the basket,” Cronin said. “Lance goes 11-for-17 [shooting], but look at the rest of us.”
With the loss to Georgetown, the Bearcats finish their regular season on a three-game losing streak, going 7-11 in the Big East and 16-14 overall.
The Bearcats will travel to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the 2010 Big East Tournament beginning Tuesday, March 9.
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