The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team had a second half Sunday night that made winning impossible.
After trailing by only a point at halftime, the Bearcats went eight-plus minutes without a field goal. Mix that with UC surrendering 52 second-half points and committing 15 turnovers on the night that led to 28 opposing points, and the outcome was a 82-76 loss at Wichita State.
"Listen, we struggle offensively a little bit in terms of remembering plays and knowing the right plays to be in," Cincinnati coach John Brannen said. "We have an immaturity about us because we're young, but the second half is inexcusable."
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Bearcats against the Shockers (7-3, 3-1 American Athletic Conference), who beat UC for the first time since Feb. 18, 2018. That loss snapped then-No. 5 Cincinnati's 39-game home winning streak, the longest active streak in the country.
The Bearcats (3-7, 1-4 AAC) were outscored Sunday in the paint (44-38) and off the bench (41-34).
More:Offense goes missing and Bearcats fall to Wichita State
"We just turned the ball over," Brannen said. "We missed a ton of layups. I thought we missed a lot of open shots, too. But it ain't about that. We gotta get stops consistently."
Up next: Cincinnati heads back to Fifth Third Arena for a two-game homestand. First up is East Carolina on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
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What we learned from Sunday's loss:
Foul trouble plagued Keith Williams again
Playing smart, physical and effective defense is a skill that continues to elude the senior guard.
The preseason first-team All-AAC selection, who has fouled out of two games this season and has been limited to 22 or fewer minutes due to fouls in two others, picked up his second foul with 10:12 to play in the first half. Williams was forced to the bench with three points.
Williams went back to the bench with 8:26 remaining after picking up his fourth foul.
"He's got to be smarter than the fouls," Brannen said. "He got an offensive foul reaching because of frustration."
Williams, who entered the night averaging a team-high 15.1 points per game, scored eight of his 14 points in the final three minutes. He assisted on two other baskets during the final five-minute stretch, but it was too late.
More:Keith Williams leads late comeback as the UC Bearcats beat the SMU Mustangs
"Keith's elite in understanding what he needs to get better at," Brannen said. "But in the moment, he's not. So he's got to understand that in the moment. Those are conversations we have on a daily basis."
The Bearcats trailed 54-46 when Williams went to the bench with his fourth foul. Wichita State then went on an 11-3 run to put UC in an inescapable hole.
Tari Eason, David DeJulius could be great in pick-and-roll offense
Brannen said Sunday that Cincinnati is best offensively when the Bearcats can get out in transition. Their second-best offense is running the pick-and-roll with Tari Eason, he said.
"Space the floor, run him into ball screens, dive him out of ball screens in the areas on the baseline, and open the floor and let our guys penetrate and kick," he said.
Eason started at center over Chris Vogt for the second straight game. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound freshman scored Cincinnati's first six points, including two dunks off of assists from guard David DeJulius.
Brannen opened the game by having Eason and DeJulius work off of each other in the pick-and-roll. But then the Bearcats got away from it.
"We tried," Brannen said. "Give Wichita credit. They got a tremendous physicality at each position that we don't have right now."
Eason finished with eight points, while DeJulius had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The pick-and-roll offense worked early, and with Eason's athleticism and DeJulius' willingness to pass, it could work often if they can figure out a way to sustain it.
Zach Harvey has career night in front of family
If there was a positive from Sunday's loss it was the play of Zach Harvey. The sophomore guard scored a career-high 19 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts.
The night felt extra special for the Overland Park, Kansas, native. Wichita is less than a three-hour drive from his hometown.
"It's just a blessing to be here and obviously be in my home state," Harvey said. "It felt really good having my family in the building. Unfortunately, it was an L (loss). But I'm just happy to be home, for sure."
Harvey appears to have turned a corner offensively after scoring 13 points in 18 minutes Thursday at SMU.
"Zach has worked hard each and every day and hasn't missed a practice," Brannen said. "... There's a reason for success."
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