CINCINNATI, Ohio – Trailing by double digits in the second, No. 24 Cincinnati stormed back to clip Marshall 93-91 in overtime on Troy Caupain’s putback with 0.7 seconds remaining.
“We had our chances to win,” said coach Dan D’Antoni. “We had some mental mistakes. If we make a layup at the end, we could be looking at a different outcome.”
Marshall led for 38 minutes, seeing its advantage balloon to as many as 15 points as the Herd was hot from outside in the first half. Marshall was 14-for-22 from 3 in the first half and led 50-38 at the brak. However, Bearcats coach Mick Cronin adjusted his defense in the second half and was able to limit Marshall’s outside shot attempts. The Herd was just 2-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second half.
“We weren’t as effective in the second half, because they changed defenses. They went from playing a zone in the first half, to going man-to-man. That gave us some issues. They pushed up on our shooters. They have some long guys, so that was a problem for our guys.
Senior guard Stevie Browning scored a game-high 28 points from 11-of-22 field goals and 6-of-8 3-pointers, while he distributed four assists and pulled down six rebounds. His 29 points marked his fourth consecutive games of at least 20 points. Guard Jon Elmore contributed 20 points of his own, while he collected six assists and four rebounds.
“We need to capitalize on opportunities like that,” said D’Antoni. “It’s not good and it’s not fun to come close.”
Marshall finishes its non-conference schedule Wednesday at Pittsburgh.