Nashville, Tenn. - Gary Clark and Jarron Cumberland notched double-doubles to lead No. 6 Cincinnati (31-4) to a 68-53 victory over Georgia State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena.Cumberland had a game high 27 points and added 11 rebounds while Gary Clark tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds. Jacob Evans III added 10 points and eight rebounds.D'Marcus Simonds scored the first 16 points for Georgia State and led them in scoring with 24. Isaiah Williams added 10 points while Malik Benlevi added seven points and six rebounds.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Cincinnati was trailing Georgia State 47-46 midway through the second half when the Bearcats went on a 17-2 run to put the Panthers away for good. During that stretch Jacob Evans nailed two big three-pointers, while Gary Clark scored five points and Kyle Washington added four points.
HE STOLE THE SHOW: While D'Marcus Simonds got off to a blazing start, scoring Georgia State's first 16 points. Cincinnati's Jarron Cumberland got hot midway through the first half. The sophomore guard had 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists at halftime. He finished with a game high 27 points and added 11 boards.THE
STATS DON'T LIE: Cincinnati's size was on display against Georgia State throughout the game. The Bearcats outrebounded Panthers 46 to 26, that included a wide margin in offensive rebounds, 20-6, that ultimately led to a 27 second-chance points for Cincinnati. The Panthers only mustered seven second chance points.
WHAT A PLAY: A Jacob Evans three-pointer from the wing put the Bearcats up 56-47 with 6:18 remaining while the Bearcats were in the middle of their 17-2 run that put the Panthers away for good.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The Bearcats earn their 31st win of the season and enter the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will face either Nevada or Texas.
OTHER NOTES:- Their were five lead changes in the game- Cincinnati had 14 assists (Justin Jenifer had five of those)- The Bearcats shot 79% from the FT line (11-14) and 39% from the field (24-62)- Cincinnati scored 26 points in the paint, Georgia State had 18
