HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky.- Savannah State placed five players in double figures but would fall short in a 107-77 loss to 12
th ranked Cincinnati. It was the season opener for both schools.
The crowd of 6,610 in BB&T Arena saw the Tigers jump out to a 13-8 advantage, thanks to three 3-pointers from junior college transfer Juwan Grant.
A 3-pointer by Austin Dasent gave SSU a 19-16 lead at the 12:20 mark but the Bearcats responded with runs of 19-2 and 9-0 to grab a 44-24 cushion with 4:54 left in the first half.
A jumper by Jahlin Smith started a 8-0 spurt by Savannah State which got SSU within 44-32 with just over four minutes showing on the clock.
Dexter McClanahan made a layup and a free throw while Ty'Lik Evans contributed a 3-pointer during the run.
Ahead by 12 with 1:20 left, the Bearcats closed the half with eight unanswered points to take a 60-40 lead into intermission.
Savannah State opened the second half by scoring the first five points as Dasent canned a 3-pointer and McClanahan made a layup to slice their deficit to 60-45.
Down 69-64 after four minutes of play, the Tigers began to chip away at their deficit and would use a 8-0 run to close their gap to 69-62 with 12:07 left.
During the run, Jahir Cabeza made two free throws and Evans made a layup and four free throws .
That would be as close as the Tigers would get the rest of the afternoon as Cincinnati delivered a knockout blow with a 21-3 run to increase their lead to 91-65 with 7:19 remaining.
SSU's last points would come on a 3-pointer by Chris Dubose with 3:06 left. Cincinnati would finish the game with seven unanswered points on their way to a 30-point victory.
Dasent had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Tigers (0-1). Smith added 13 points and five rebounds while Evans, McClanahan and Grant all chipped in 11 points apiece.
SSU shot 35.1 percent from the floor, made 29.5 percent of their 3-point attempts and made 75 percent of their free throws.
Cincinnati, who won the rebounding battle 65 to 32, had six players reach double figures and was led by Jacob Evans' 19 points. Gary Clark added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bearcats (1-0) shot 47.7 percent from the field , 33.3 percent of their 3-point attempts and 50 percent of their free throws.
