Fort Worth, Texas – Jamal Shedd scored 16 points and nine assists as first-ranked Houston climbed to its fifth consecutive American Conference Championship game with a 69-48 win over Cincinnati on Saturday, even after losing star guard Marcus Sasser to injury.
The Cougars (31-2) led the entire time, getting a second chance twice from J’Wan Roberts in the first minute of a game between two teams moving up to the Big 12 next season. Roberts finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Sasser, the AAC Player of the Year who scored 30 points in Houston’s quarterfinal victory on Friday, collapsed with an apparent groin injury about 6 1/2 minutes before halftime. The senior guard never returned after a non-contact injury, and finished with four points in nine minutes.
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Sasser was dribbling between the conference pennant and the 3-point line when his right foot appeared to slip, throwing him off balance before his left foot slipped as well, resulting in an awkward split.
Houston took an eight-point lead when Sasser was injured, extending the lead to 38-23 at halftime.
Landers Nolley II had 14 points for Cincinnati (21-12), which shot 25.5% (13-of-51) from the field.
3-pointer by Nolley with just over 15 minutes left in the game the Bearcats were within 44-35—the only time after halftime they were within single digits, and the last time.
Then Shead had a jump start to start a 17-3 run. The rookie guard had seven points overall in the surge that was capped by a Terrance Arceneaux free throw for a 61-38 lead.
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The Big Picture
Cincinnati: The Bearcats will miss the NCAA Tournament again, their most recent appearance being 2019, which was their ninth straight. Just like in the quarterfinal game against East Carolina, Cincinnati was down by 10 points under seven minutes in front of Houston. But there will be no comeback like Friday’s 84-54 win—their largest winning margin ever in a conference tournament game. Instead, Cincinnati fell by more than 20 points for only the second time this season.
HOUSTON: Even without the Sasser, the Cougars came back from Friday’s worst shooting game (28.1% overall, 16 of 57). They nearly doubled that in the semi-final game, shooting 50.9% (29 out of 57). … Houston is 11-0 at Dickies Arena and has yet to lose away from home this season.
the next
Houston: Plays in the AAC Championship game on Sunday against Memphis or Tulane, with the winner earning an automatic NCAA bid to the league. The Cougars are sure to be the first seed when the stent is released on Sunday, no matter what happens.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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