Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - JaQuon Parker scored five of his 14 points
in the extra session as the Cincinnati Bearcats came back to defeat the South
Florida Bulls, 61-53, in a Big East overtime thriller at Fifth Third Arena.
Cashmere Wright netted a team-high 15 points for the Bearcats (21-10, 9-9 Big
East), which also received 13 points from Sean Kilpatrick. Cheikh Mbodj
contributed eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks to help Cincinnati
close
out the regular season with its second win in three outings.
Victor Rudd paced USF (12-18, 3-15) with 22 points as the Bulls ended their
season without a conference road win.
The Bulls seemed determined early on and took a 28-23 lead into halftime after
shooting an even 50 percent from both the floor and beyond the arc. Cincinnati
fell behind after it committed 11 turnovers before the break.
The Bearcats rallied back in the second stanza as they knocked down 40 percent
of their field goal attempts and outrebounded the visitors, 15-12. Cincinnati
trailed by one in the closing minute before Wright drew contact to earn a trip
to the charity stripe with 14 seconds showing on the clock. The Bearcats'
point guard made his first free attempt, but missed the back end of his visit.
Rudd was stripped by Kilpatrick as time expired in regulation, which sent the
game into overtime.
Cincinnati used a 7-0 run in overtime to take control and end the Bulls' two-
game winning streak.
The loss dropped USF to 1-2 in overtime games on the season.
GAME NOTES:
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