Cincinnati ends first half with 27-1 spurt, coasts to 79-36 in exhibition win over Thomas More on Thursday

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Major upsets in exhibition games do happen in the world of college basketball. But Fifth Third Arena wasn’t the place for a stun-the-universe moment when Thomas More visited the University of Cincinnati on Thursday night.

In head coach John Brannen’s unofficial debut on the Cincinnati sideline, the Bearcats shot 60 percent from the field and coasted to a 79-36 win over Thomas More in front of a crowd of 5,389. Brannen’s team held the Saints to 22.7 percent shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes and used a 27-1 run to end the half for a 38-14 cushion at the break.

Facing overwhelming size and athleticism, Thomas More finished the game shooting 23.9 percent from the field. Going up against a perennial NCAA Tournament team, an NAIA program such as Thomas More needed a near-perfect performance to shock the world.

“In order for us to win a game like this, man, you really got to shoot it out of your mind,” Thomas More head coach Justin Ray said. “You have to take care of the ball. You can’t turn it over 21 times.”

Thomas More — which opened its regular season on Tuesday night with a road win at Asbury — owned an early 10-6 lead against Cincinnati as Luke Rudy buried two straight 3-pointers. The Saints still owned a 13-11 lead when the Bearcats suddenly turned the court into a dunk fest during the final 12:08 of the first half, slamming down five jams that highlighted a 27-1 spurt.

Former Northern Kentucky University center Chris Vogt scored six points in the first half for Cincinnati, including a monster two-hand dunk. Vogt transferred during the spring and was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility to play this season.

“I thought Chris played well, and he’s a guy who has really taken the next step in practice,” Brannen said of the 7-foot-1 Vogt, a graduate of Graves County High School.

Vogt averaged 4.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season while playing for Brannen at NKU. He also shot 57.7 percent from the field and announced his decision to transfer after Brannen accepted the job at Cincinnati.

Chris McNeal scored 15 points to lead Cincinnati, while teammate Jaevin Cumberland added 13 points — including a trio of 3-pointers — off the bench. Jarron Cumberland chipped in 10 points and collected four steals for the Bearcats, who finished with a 28-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

The taller Bearcats also owned a commanding 50-8 edge in points in the paint. They dominated the glass and finished with a 37-23 advantage in rebounds.

Rudy netted 10 points to lead Thomas More. Ryan Batte scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Saints, while teammate Reid Jolly added seven points off the bench.

Thomas More (1-0) will play host to UC-Clermont at 1 p.m. Saturday in a regular-season game at the Connor Convocation Center.