Chris McNeal (Jackson, Tenn./South Side HS/Tennessee Tech) scored a game-high 15 points, Jaevin Cumberland (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington HS/Oakland) had 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting and his cousin Jarron Cumberland (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington HS) added 10 points and five steals as Cincinnati cruised to a 79-36 exhibition win over Thomas More on Thursday at Fifth Third Arena.
Defensive intensity created the offense for the Bearcats. Though that wasn't the case early as the Saints battled even with the Bearcats for the first 8:11 of the game before the initial media timeout.
Ryan Batte hit a three-pointer with 12:37 left in the first stanza to give Thomas More a 13-11 lead before UC turned up the heat, holding the Saints without a basket until after intermission.
"I thought the first four minutes we had a new experience," UC head coach John Brannen said. "After the first media timeout, which took forever to get to, we got our focus and intensity back and from then on out they scored one point for the rest of the first half."
UC's pressure defense and full-court press helped create 15 steals on the night and led to 28 points off 21 Thomas More miscues. The Bearcats outscored the Saints 21-0 in fast-break points.
"The identity of this team is defensive," Brannen said. "You'll hear me talk about that a lot. I know the media and others want to talk about our offense. The bottom line is we have to defend each and every night. I'm really proud of the guys during the last 12 minutes of the first half. I think it carried over into the second half."
Jaevin Cumberland, a grad transfer from Oakland, was perfect in his first game as a Bearcat, making all five of his attempts from the field, including three from beyond the arc.
"It was great to be back out there," Jaevin Cumberland said. "It was great to be putting on the Bearcat uniform for the first time. I was just excited to get out there and hit some shots."
Thomas More, who played at the NCAA Division III level before moving to NAIA prior to this season, was led in scoring by Luke Rudy's 10 points. Batte added nine points and a team-best six rebounds.
Cincinnati shot 60 percent (33 of 55) from the field and 50 percent (8 of 16) from long range while Thomas More was held to 23.9 percent (11 of 46) shooting from the floor and 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from three-point range. The Bearcats took advantage of their size inside, outrebounding the Saints 37-23 while enjoying a 50-8 advantage in points in the paint.
UC's pressure defense and full-court press helped create 15 steals on the night and led to 28 points off 21 Thomas More miscues. The Bearcats outscored the Saints 21-0 in fast-break points.
"The identity of this team is defensive," Brannen said. "You'll hear me talk about that a lot. I know the media and others want to talk about our offense. The bottom line is we have to defend each and every night. I'm really proud of the guys during the last 12 minutes of the first half. I think it carried over into the second half."
Jaevin Cumberland, a grad transfer from Oakland, was perfect in his first game as a Bearcat, making all five of his attempts from the field, including three from beyond the arc.
"It was great to be back out there," Jaevin Cumberland said. "It was great to be putting on the Bearcat uniform for the first time. I was just excited to get out there and hit some shots."
Thomas More, who played at the NCAA Division III level before moving to NAIA prior to this season, was led in scoring by Luke Rudy's 10 points. Batte added nine points and a team-best six rebounds.
Cincinnati shot 60 percent (33 of 55) from the field and 50 percent (8 of 16) from long range while Thomas More was held to 23.9 percent (11 of 46) shooting from the floor and 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from three-point range. The Bearcats took advantage of their size inside, outrebounding the Saints 37-23 while enjoying a 50-8 advantage in points in the paint.
