The Mustangs played their first game in more than a month, but they couldn't get past an aggressive Cincinnati team.
FORT WORTH, Texas -- For the first half of Friday's AAC Tournament quarterfinal, SMU didn't look like a team that hasn't played a game in 32 days.
But as the game went on, SMU had problems getting its offense out of neutral, Cincinnati's stingy defense looked the part, and, take away a late rally, the Mustangs couldn't find many answers Friday afternoon.
Cincinnati, the fifth seed in the tournament, finished with a 74-71 victory over fourth-seeded SMU at Dickies Arena.The Bearcats (11-10) next will face top-seeded Wichita State in the tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon.
"I give Cincinnati much credit. They've been playing great," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said. "They had a rough start, and the last eight, nine, 10 games have been much improved. I knew they'd be an incredibly difficult opponent."
SMU (11-5) played its first game since beating East Carolina on Feb. 8. The team has had to deal with multiple COVID-19 pauses.
With the loss, SMU's chances of earning an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament is slim. But for the entertainment value on Friday, the Mustangs made the game fun to watch with a late run.
SMU once trailed by 20 with six minutes left but battled back to trim the lead to single digits with time ticking away. A tip-in by Tyson Jolly put SMU within three, but the Mustangs ran out of time.
SMU started the game shooting well from the floor, connecting on five of their first seven attempts. SMU led, 17-12, with less than 11 minutes in the first half.
From there, SMU shooting turned cold, and the team made only three of their last 16 attempts. Cincinnati led, 30-23, at the halftime break.
The Bearcats opened the second half with an 11-1 run. Cincinnati took a 44-24 lead at the 14:53 mark on a Keith Williams bucket with the foul.
In the final six minutes of the game, SMU found its rhythm on offense and also frustrated Cincinnati defensively. The Mustangs outscored the Bearcats 30-13 in those final minutes.
Friday was a game where Kendric Davis put on a show for SMU. The point guard had a career-high 35 points, 27 of those coming in the second half.
Unfortunately for SMU, no other player finished with double figures in scoring. Charles Smith IV scored eight points off the bench. All eight came in the second half. Ethan Chargois had seven points but also finished with 12 rebounds.
Jeremiah Davenport had 19 points for a Cincinnati team that had four players finish with double figures. Williams had 14 points, while Mike Saunders Jr. and Mika Adams-Woods added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
SMU was without forward Feron Hunt for the second half, as he sustained what appeared to be an ankle injury. The Mustangs were already down two bigs before the start of the game in Yor Anei and Jahmar Young Jr.
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