Vanderbilt had never beaten Cincinnati in Cincinnati. That changed Thursday night.
In what was likely his final game at Fifth Third Arena, Keith Williams scored 20 points to lead the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team, but the Commodores converted 18 Bearcats' turnovers to 24 points and snatched a 78-64 victory.
"We gotta get back to playing really well," UC coach John Brannen said. "I thought this started in practice with a little lack of discipline this week."
Cincinnati (9-10) dropped to 6-2 all time and 4-1 in the Queen City against its foes from the Southeastern Conference. The loss marked the second straight for Cincinnati, which fell to 6-3 since returning from a 25-day layoff due to COVID-19 protocols.
Scotty Pippen Jr., the son of six-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, scored a game-high 36 points, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range, to lead Vanderbilt (8-14).
"Pippen was the best player on the floor," Brannen said.
Next: The Bearcats, who have clinched the fifth seed and a first-round bye in next week's American Athletic Conference tournament, are scheduled to end their regular season Sunday at East Carolina. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
[ 'He's a problem': The arrival of Cincinnati Bearcats guard Mike Saunders Jr. ]
What we learned from Thursday's loss:
Mike Saunders Jr. suffered sprained foot/ankle
After scoring three points and dishing out three assists in the first half, the 6-foot guard, who was coming off a career-high 19-point performance Sunday against Memphis, did not come out of the locker room in the second half.
"Mike sprained his foot or ankle, I'm not sure which one," Brannen said.
The injury happened on the final play before halftime, according to Brannen.
"Missing Mike, that really hurt us in the second half," Brannen said.
Brannen said it was "impossible" to know if Saunders, who was on crutches and had a walking boot on his left foot after the game, will be able to play Sunday or in next week's AAC tournament.
With Saunders out and David DeJulius no longer with the team after opting out of the remainder of the season, Mika Adams-Woods played all 40 minutes.
"He was dying at the end, as he should be because he plays so hard," Brannen said. "We just don't have a lot of bodies right now."
The Bearcats are scheduled to open the AAC tournament March 12 against fourth-seeded SMU (11-4, 7-4). Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. It will be the Mustangs' first game since Feb. 8 after having eight straight games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
More turnovers
Turnovers again cost Cincinnati the win.
Tari Eason committed six turnovers on the night, and Williams, Saunders Jr. and Mamoudou Diarra each had three turnovers.
"Their formula for winning is to spread you out, hope you make mistakes offensively and turn the ball over and just bomb threes and have you chase all over," Brannen said of the Commodores. "... That's their formula for success. I saw it happening in the first half. I knew it as it was happening. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stop it."
The disparity helped the Commodores build a 34-26 advantage in the paint.
More foul trouble
Foul trouble continued to plague the Bearcats, and with a dwindling roster, they just don't have the number of players to overcome it.
Chris Vogt picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and had to sit until the 5:41 mark in the first half.
[ UC senior Chris Vogt embracing mentor role with younger teammates during turbulent season ]
Williams scored 12 of Cincinnati's first 18 points and then headed to the bench with his second foul with 9:26 to play in the opening period. Eason and Diarra also picked up two early fouls. Eason fouled out.
With the Bearcats hampered with foul trouble, Vanderbilt worked itself to a 47-35 lead at halftime. The hole proved to be too much for UC to climb out of.
The Commodores led for 35:26 of the 40 minutes.
Pippen Jr. couldn't miss
The 6-foot-3 sophomore returned for the Commodores after missing the past three games with a hip injury. Pippen torched the Bearcats for 23 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Pippen also made all six of his free throws before the break.
"He just creates so many opportunities for his teammates," Brannen said. "He's got tremendous pace. I think he knows how to lean his body certain ways. He gets the calls. I think that helps too. Obviously, he's a great player. He continues to get better the more you watch him on film."
Pippen leads Vanderbilt in points (20.5), assists (5.2) and steals (1.7) this season.
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