Cincy Shoots Down N. Arizona 65-62

Cincinnati was bigger, stronger and on a roll. Just about everyone believed Northern Arizona was hopelessly overmatched against the Bearcats' impressive talent and defensive fury.

But once in awhile, the impossible happens in the NCAA tournament, and Thursday afternoon in Boise was almost one of those times.

Only when a long shot finally went in for Cincinnati did the long-shot hopes of the Lumberjacks disappear.

D'Juan Baker, 4-for-14 from the field up to that time, sank a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds to play to give the Bearcats a 65-62 victory. Before that, it was big, big trouble as the Conference USA champs barely avoided becoming only the fourth No. 2 seed to fall to a No. 15 seed.

"This brought us back to reality," Baker said. "We can't take anyone for granted. It was a wake-up call today."

Northern Arizona, a 15-point underdog in its first NCAA tournament, frustrated the Bearcats (27-5) all afternoon with a pestering defense and a patient offense as the capacity crowd of 12,154 at BSU Pavilion roared its approval.

"It's a selfish point of view, but we deserved to win," Northern Arizona coach Ben Howland said. "We came here expecting to win. They're a great team. They're very athletic, but this really stings."

Twice the Lumberjacks (21-8) led by six points in the second half.

Each time the Bearcats took the lead, the Lumberjacks had an answer. Bobby Brannen, the lone consistent offensive threat for Cincinnati with 24 points, made one of two free throws to put the Bearcats up 62-59 with 24.7 seconds to play.

But Northern Arizona is the top 3-point shooting team in the country, and Michael McNair calmly made one from 22 feet to tie it 62-62 with 17.4 seconds left.

Cincinnati tried to get the ball into the middle to Brannen, but couldn't. Instead, it went to the left side to Baker, whose wide open shot fell through.

"I was the second option," Baker said. "Coach told me if I got the ball, go straight up off my tiptoes. I wasn't going to hesitate. I had an open look and I took the shot."

Kawika Akina, the quick Hawaiian point guard who had seven steals, tossed up a desperate 3-pointer at the buzzer that bounced off the front of the rim.

"Maybe we'll get a little respect now," said Casey Frank, who gamely fought the battle against the bigger bodies inside before fouling out with 24.7 seconds to play. "We just came here to show everybody we were a good team and to get a W."

Baker scored 13 points and Ruben Patterson 11 for Cincinnati. Ross Land and Frank had 13 apiece for the Lumberjacks.

"They really made shots," said Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins, whose team plays his alma mater West Virginia in Saturday's second round. "They shot 50 percent ithe first half and rarely do opponents shoot 50 percent against us. We haven't had three or four guys play well at once. But we've managed to win because someone stepped up."

Cincinnati survived largely thanks to an overwhelming advantage in size and strength. The Bearcats outrebounded the Lumberjacks 42-27. Kenyon Martin had 15 boards and Brannen 12. Cincinnati outscored Northern Arizona 22-9 on the offensive boards.

The Bearcats, ranked No. 9 nationally, entered the game as arguably the hottest team in the tournament with nine straight victories. But they were oh-so-cold for most of the day in Boise.

They made just three of their first 14 shots and were 7-for-29 (24 percent) at halftime. Before his big shot, Baker was only 2-for-8 from 3-point range.

Northern Arizona led 31-26 at the half. The Bearcats clawed back to take the lead three times, but never by more than two points.

The Lumberjacks, champions of the Big Sky, scored seven in a row to go ahead 53-47 on Frank's offensive rebound with 9:24 to play. But in the face of Cincinnati's trademark pressure defense, NAU managed only one field goal over the next 8:53.

That basket, a 3-pointer by one of the nation's top long-range shooters, Andrew Mavis, put Northern Arizona on top 56-53 with 6:28 remaining. The basket seemed to jolt the Bearcats.

"We started doing what we were supposed to do the whole game guarding them," Brannen said. "They're a team that works hard and makes you guard them for 35 seconds. I'm a little tired."

Martin's stuff on a lob and Brannen's rebound basket put the Bearcats ahead 57-56, and Frank made one of two free throws to tie it 57-57 with 4:15 to play.

Baskets by Martin and Melvin Levett put Cincinnati up 61-57 with 1:14 to play. But Frank's stuff shot and Brannen's missed free throw opened the way for McNair's game-tying 3-pointer.

Akina, who had five steals in the first half, had the play that epitomized the unlikely scenario that unfolded all afternoon. It came in the first half with the game tied 24-24. The shot clock was winding down and Akina was in trouble. Cincinnati's Michael Horton was smothering him in the key.

In desperation, Akina flung the ball over his head toward the basket. It banked in and the crowd, already favoring the Lumberjacks, erupted. The roar swelled as NAU continued on a 9-2 run to end the half.

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