Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cincinnati 72, Wagner 48
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Where: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Officials: # Peter Juzenas, # Jamie Luckie, # Bert Smith
Attendance: 6023

Cincinnati 72, Wagner 48: Kevin Johnson recorded 11 points and four steals as the host Bearcats had little trouble with the Seahawks.

Octavius Ellis registered 10 points and three blocks as Cincinnati (8-3) played its second game under assistant Larry Davis as coach Mick Cronin continues to undergo tests after an unruptured brain aneurysm was detected late last week. Shaquille Thomas and Quadri Moore scored 10 apiece for the Bearcats, who finished with 12 blocks - nine in the first half - and nine steals while shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

Japhet Kadji, JoJo Cooper and Romone Saunders scored eight points apiece for Wagner (2-8), which lost its fifth straight and fell to 0-7 on the road. The Seahawks shot 29.8 percent from the field - 17.2 percent in the first half - while converting 31.3 percent of their 16 attempts from 3-point range.

Cincinnati, which was 12-for-20 from the field in the first half, scored the first eight points and doubled up Wagner 26-13 after a 7-0 run. Saunders' 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 28-19 with 1:40 remaining before Coreontae DeBerry's dunk and jumper gave the Bearcats a 32-19 lead at the break.

After turning it over on its first two possessions of the second half, Cincinnati converted three of its next four field goals to start a 22-6 run - including a 6:07 stretch in which the Seahawks didn't score - that made it 54-26 10:07 left. Three consecutive dunks - two by Johnson - gave the Bearcats a 64-33 lead with 4:47 to go.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati made 22 of its 31 free throws while Wagner was 9-of-12 from the line. ... The Bearcats improved to 13-0 against the Northeast Conference while the Seahawks fell to 1-9 versus the American Athletic Conference. ... Wagner coach Bashir Mason was born February 11, 1984 and is the second-youngest Division I coach behind Tennessee State's Dana Ford (June 9, 1984).
Top Game Performances
 
Wagner   Cincinnati
JoJo Cooper 8 Scoring Kevin Johnson 11
JoJo Cooper 3 Assists Troy Caupain 3
Mike Aaman 8 Rebounds Gary Clark 6
JoJo Cooper 5 Free Throws Made Quadri Moore 6
Marcus Burton 2 Steals Kevin Johnson 4
Greg Senat 2 Blocks Octavius Ellis 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Wagner 48 29.8 5-16 9-12 9 28 2 6 16
Cincinnati 72 53.3 2-11 22-31 12 27 12 9 14