In the loss for the Shockers, Craig Porter Jr. led with 19 points. Wichita State drops to 7-8. They were 6-of-22 on 3-pointers compared to UC's 13-of-29.
It was a "yellow out" for the 6,876 fans at "The Roundhouse," but they likely will be happy to see the black and red of the Bearcats leave town. UC has won 10 of the 12 AAC meetings between the schools that first battled years ago in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bearcats will bounce in the Big 12 next season, while the Shockers will be in the revamped American Athletic Conference.
Of note on this night in Kansas, UC tweaked its starting lineup for the first time this season as the 6-foot-9 senior Oguama was inserted in place of the 6-foot-7 senior Davenport. It was just Oguama's second start as a Bearcat and first of the season. At Wake Forest, he was primarily a starter.
Having two big men allowed the Bearcats to effectively control the boards and fouls. It also provided Davenport with some motivation to come off the bench and bang down some shots. He hit three of his first four treys and led all scorers at the half with 13 points.
"He handled that really well," Miller said of Davenport. "Jeremiah Davenport is all about winning and all about the Cincinnati Bearcats."
Up 39-22 at the break, it was the lowest point total allowed by the UC defense in any half. Plus, they nearly matched their rebounding effort in Philadelphia against Temple in 20 minutes, holding a 25-15 edge on the glass. David DeJulius was fouled on the perimeter as the half expired and canned all of his free throws to give the Bearcats the 17-point edge. They would be the only free throws UC would get in the contest.
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