UC takes Crosstown Shootout, 86-78
FINAL, UC wins, 86-78: The University of Cincinnati Bearcats finally ended Xavier's run as rulers of the Crosstown Shootout by winning 86-78.
In winning, No. 19-ranked UC (18-2, 7-0 American) overcame one of the great individual performances in recent Shootout history.
Xavier (14-6, 4-3 Big East) junior guard Trevon Bluiett set or tied multiple personal and program marks over the course of his 40-point performance.
Box score: UC 86, Xavier 78
UC's Jacob Evans went for a team-high 21 points while Jarron Cumberland and Troy Caupain came on strong down the stretch to finish with 15 and 16 points, respectively.
The Bearcats made significant inroads in the paint in the second half. They out-rebounded No. 24 Xavier, 42-32, and claimed a 19-12 edge on the offensive glass. This led to a huge, 30-4 advantage in terms of second-chance points for UC.
UC also won in spite of itself at the foul line. The team made just 18 of 37 attempts.
For the Bearcats, they've solidified their NCAA Tournament resume, which has drawn skepticism due to the relatively weak American Athletic Conference.
Xavier falls to 1-5 in true road games and is still seeking a signature one for its NCAA Tournament resume.
Follow The Enquirer for postgame coverage of the Crosstown Shootout.
2nd half, 4:33, UC leading, 74-71: This one is setting up for a furious finish.
The Bearcats went on a 19-5 run to take the lead and, at the 6:05 mark of the period, led by a game-high nine points at 72-63.
Jacob Evans leads UC with 16 points and Jarron Cumberland has come up big down the stretch. He's on 15 points for the game.
Bluiett hit another 3-pointer before the last timeout to reset his career high point total at 37.
2nd half, 11:58, Xavier leading, 52-51: Fifth Third Arena is rocking. UC's on a 10-3 run that's cut its deficit to just a point. Jacob Evans has 12 points. A Jarron Cumberland 3-pointer pulled the Bearcats to within a point and really lit the fuse on the arena.
2nd half, 15:06, Xavier leading, 52-45: Trevon Bluiett struck for a new career high, hitting two more 3-pointers.
The first trey of the half gave Bluiett 29 points, surpassing his previous career high of 27. Another 3-pointer pushed him beyond the 30 point threshold.
The University of Cincinnati is hanging tough, though. They trail by just seven and have found success in the low post early in the second half.
HALFTIME: Legends are born in the Crosstown Shootout and Xavier junior guard Trevon Bluiett is in the process of writing his own chapter in Shootout lore.
Bluiett had a nearly-flawless first half, going for 26 points to help lead the No. 24 Musketeers (14-5, 4-3 Big East) to a 44-36 lead over No. 19 Cincinnati (17-2, 7-0 American).
Bluiett was 8 of 8 from the field in the first period and 6 of 6 from 3-point range. That included a last-second heave that swished through as the first-half buzzer sounded.
Bluiett is one point shy of his career high of 27. He made the majority of Xavier's treys in the period, but the Musketeers went 10 of 15 from deep as a group.
Junior Xavier guard J.P. Macura added eight points.
While Xavier might have stolen the first-half headlines, UC mostly kept pace throughout the period.
Gary Clark led the Bearcats in scoring with 11 points and Jacob Evans III added nine points.
However, the Bearcats were undone in the opening 20 minutes at the foul line where they made 7 of 16 free-throws.
Forward Kyle Washington, who figured to have an advantage over Xavier's post players, went for just three points in the first half on 1 of 5 shooting from the field and 1 of 5 from the foul line.
The Enquirer will update this story. Follow The Enquirer's UC and Xavier beat writers, Tom Groeschen and Pat Brennan, for updates throughout the second half.