In a game that was decided at the free throw line, the Pack emerged with an 85-77 win over Cincinnati on Sunday night at the RBC Center.
State continued its winning ways after defeating South Carolina State and Davidson and handed Cincinnati their fifth-straight loss. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Costner led the way with 20 points, and the Pack rolled to a non-conference win over the Bearcats while improving its record to 7-3.
Costner got the crowd on its feet early with 13 points in the first half alone, including three 3-pointers. He went 5-for-5 from the field and gathered two rebounds in the opening half.
“Brandon started great,” senior Gavin Grant said. “The crowd started booing for me when I made a pass to him this one time, and I was like, ‘What are you booing at me for?’ The guy’s hot.”
Costner said the victory was especially sweet given that Cincinnati beat State for the first time last winter, 80-71. In that game, State squandered a halftime lead and turned the ball over 32 times – the second-highest total in team history.
“It felt good to put them away, especially since we owed them one from last year,” Costner said. “We started having a little déjà vu for a second there, and we definitely had to step up.”
Cincinnati sent State to the free throw line 50 times, the most in almost two years. Grant said his team was expecting the increase in physical play.
“That’s Big East basketball, man,” Grant, who finished second on the team with 15 points, said. “They’re physical. ACC boys – I guess they call us the ‘pretty boys’ – but they’re just down and dirty over there.”
Costner also said the game was a physical one.
“We knew it would be a tough game and that they would try and muck it up and send us to the line,” Costner said. “I think at times we were shaky, but I do feel like we handled it well after we figured out what they were doing and we relaxed a little bit. I was proud of us.”
Starting point guard Farnold Degand was taken down while attempting a lay-up with 4:13 left in the second half, and freshman Javier Gonzalez was called in to replace him. Gonzalez finished the game with six points – all from the free throw line – and drew the praise of his coach and teammates.
“That was a tough situation to get into, being a freshman who has never been in that kind of situation or against a team that aggressive and quick,” Lowe said. “I thought he kept his composure.”
Grant also praised Gonzalez’s play.
“I think he’s maturing, and he’s coming along real well,” Grant said. “He’ll really be able to help us come ACC time.”