UCF rallies past Cincinnati 66-65 in OT to reach the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals
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3:04 PM on Wednesday, March 11
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jamichael Stillwell had 17 points and 15 rebounds, Riley Kugel added 15 points, and eighth-seeded UCF rallied to beat ninth-seeded Cincinnati 66-65 in overtime on Thursday and advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
John Bol scored 13 points for the Knights (21-10), who trailed by as many as 12 in regulation, then watched as the Bearcats' Jalen Celestine missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to earn a date with top-ranked Arizona on Thursday.
Moustapha Thiam had 18 points and 16 boards to lead the Bearcats (18-15). Day Day Thomas had all of their seven points in overtime and finished with 15, while Celestine had 11 points and Keyshuan Tillery finished with 10.
The Knights won despite going 3 of 24 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Cincinnati had taken control with about 10 minutes to go, when Thomas was fouled by Kugel about 30 feet from the basket and the shot-clock running out. His two free throws gave the Bearcats a 46-37 lead, and Stillwell immediately picked up his fourth foul at the other end, sending the Knights' best rebounder to the bench.
UCF still faced a 58-50 hole with about two minutes to go when Stillwell hit a soft jumper in the lane. Cincinnati proceeded to turn the ball over on three straight possessions, and Kugel's driving layup tied the game 58-all with a minute to go.
The Bearcats had the final shot of regulation, but Thiam didn't appear to realize the clock was about to expire. Cincinnati coach Wes Miller frantically called timeout from the bench, but there was only 0.8 seconds left — time enough for an airballed 3-point try.
The Knights lost their only game to the top-seeded Wildcats in mid-January.
Cincinnati must hope a first-round win over Utah in the Big 12 tourney will get it off the NCAA Tournament bubble on Sunday.
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