No. 18 Cincinnati ends regular season on high note with win over UConn
STORRS, Conn. - Gary Clark had 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading No. 18 Cincinnati over short-handed Connecticut 67-47 Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jarron Cumberland added 15 points and Jacob Evans III had 12 for the Bearcats (27-4, 16-2 American Athletic Conference).
Rodney Purvis scored 15 points for UConn (14-16, 9-9), which lost its fourth in a row. The loss dropped the Huskies into the play-in round of the AAC Tournament.
Cincinnati held a 44-32 rebounding advantage, including 17 on the offensive end that it turned into 17 points.
The Bearcats shot just 32.5 percent from the field (13 for 40) in the first half, but relied on defense and rebounding to stay ahead. They led 21-7 midway through the period.
Kevin Johnson made a 3-pointer just 14 seconds into the second half and the Bearcats never lost their double-digit lead.
Amida Brimah had 11 points for UConn. The Huskies were down to seven scholarship players for the game with freshman Vance Jackson (concussion) the latest to miss time due to injury.
BIG PICTURE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have recovered from being upset at Central Florida last week. The Bearcats and SMU will be the favorites in the conference tournament.
UConn: Eight of the 11 scholarship players have missed at least one game because of injury.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati heads into the AAC Tournament as the second seed and is a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
UConn must win the conference tournament if it has any hope of making the NCAAs.