Jimmy Whitt had 24 points and Jahmal McMurray added 18, but it wasn't enough to save the Mustangs' season.

That's because the Cincinnati Bearcats used their physicality and to wear down SMU, overcoming an early deficit to grind out an 82-74 win over the Mustangs Friday night in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals in Memphis.

Cincinnati’s size advantage played a key role in the team’s win. Save for Feron Hunt, SMU’s big men had a hard time boxing out the likes of Tre Scott and Nysier Brooks. The former proved to be a thorn in SMU’s side during the second half. He was able to find the soft spot in SMU’s zone en route to 11 points in the second half.

But the Bearcats’ size advantage also resulted in extra shots and extra points. The team grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, including 12 in the second half. That resulted in 17 second-chance points, 13 of which came in the final 20 minutes.

SMU also had trouble defending Cincinnati guard Jaron Cumberland, the AAC player of the year. Cumberland was able to hit floaters over SMU defenders, which was key against the SMU zone. He finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, including 17 in the second half.

Behind the arc, it was Justin Jenifer doing the damage. The diminutive guard is not known for offensive ability, but that's where he had the most success Friday night. He made all of his six 3-point attempts, including one right before the halftime buzzer sounded that gave the Bearcats a 40-38 advantage going into the half

Jenifer's shot gave the Bearcats their first lead since the 15:28 mark in the first half. The game was close at first and the two teams were tied 19 at the 10-minute mark, but a 10-2 run gave the Mustangs a 29-21 lead. That would prove to be the biggest lead of the game for the Mustangs.

SMU had to fight from behind coming out of the half, as Cincinnati raced out to a nine-point lead early on. But Jahmal McMurray hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 14-5 SMU run. By the time it ended, SMU had tied it up at 62 with 8:09 left.

Still, SMU was not in control. The team had to make up small deficits, two points here and four points there, but they down just two with 2:43 left. That's when things spiraled out of control.

It started when Cumblerland got to the basket and drew the foul. Then Scott hit a jumper and SMU was forced to foul. Cincinnati proved to be accurate from the foul line, drowning out any hopes of an SMU comeback.

SMU finishes the season at 15-17, clinching its first losing season since 2012-2013.