BOX SCORE | POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
IRVING, Texas – Fifth-seeded Cincinnati pushed out to a big second-half lead and held on to defeat No. 4 seed SMU, 74-71, in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Thursday afternoon at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
With the win, the Bearcats (11-10) advance to the semifinals for the fourth time and will face top-seeded Wichita State on Saturday, March 13 at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
The Bearcats opened the second half on a 16-3 run to jump out to a 20-point lead with 14:16 remaining at 46-26. The Mustangs (11-5) used a late surge to get the game close, pulling within three with a tip-in at the buzzer.
Jeremiah Davenport scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Cincinnati, while Mike Saunders Jr. added 12 points and six rebounds.
Kendric Davis scored a career-high 35 points for SMU, which is also the tournament high so far. The unanimous All-American Athletic Conference First-Team selection was 9-of-16 from the field with four 3-pointers and 13-of-17 from the free throw line.
Cincinnati has won seven consecutive games in the American Athletic Conference Championship, tying SMU’s record for the longest winning streak in tournament history. Cincinnati is the two-time defending champion of the tournament (2018, 2019).
All of the latest information regarding the tournament can be found on Championship Central at
TheAmerican.org/mbb.
Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
March 11-14, 2021
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth, Texas
First Round – Thursday, March 11
Game 1 – No. 8 USF 73, No. 9 Temple 71
Game 2 - No. 10 Tulane 77, No. 7 Tulsa 70
Game 3 - No. 6 UCF 72, No. 11 ECU 62
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 12
Game 4 – No. 1 Wichita State 68, No. 8 USF 67
Game 5 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 4 SMU – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 6 – No. 10 Tulane vs. No. 2 Houston – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 7 – No. 6 UCF vs. No. 3 Memphis – 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
Game 8 - No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Wichita State - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 9 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7 - 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Championship Final – Sunday, March 14
Game 10 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 3:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. CT - ESPN