Cincy destroys Boston U.

Posted 7:39AM on Saturday 16th March 2002 ( 23 years ago )

PITTSBURGH - During the first half, it seemed as if Steve Logan was playing Boston University by himself. What's remarkable is that he was winning. Logan put on a dazzling display of shooting and playmaking while outscoring Boston U. by himself until well into the second half, leading top-seeded Cincinnati to an oh-so-easy 90-52 romp Friday night in a first-round West Regional game. It was a typical No. 1 vs. No. 16 mismatch, with the only question being whether Logan would score more points than the Terriers (22-10). He didn't, settling for 27 before leaving with 7:27 remaining after scoring only four points in the second half. It was Bearcats coach Bob Huggins' 500th career victory - he is 500-171 at Walsh, Akron and Cincinnati - and very few were as easy as this one. ``I didn't know if I would last this long,'' said Huggins, the 95th Division I coach to reach 500 victories. ``You didn't see how bad some of those teams at Walsh were.'' Logan, the All-American guard, had been in a shooting slump lately, but all that ended during a remarkable scoring burst late in the first half that turned what already was a one-sided Cincinnati advantage into an almost embarrassingly big lead. With the Bearcats (31-3) up 23-8, he began what might be called Logan's run with a long 3-pointer, the first of seven consecutive shots he would hit. Four were 3-pointers, each of them longer than the last. ``I've been shooting it well in practice, so when I got in the game, I just had to focus,'' Logan said. ``I just got good looks at the basket and made my shots when I got them.'' Logan, too quick and too strong to be defended by a BU backcourt that seemed to be playing in slow motion, went on to score 11 consecutive points during a 24-3 Bearcats run. That streak ended when Logan threw a perfectly timed over-the-rim pass to Immanuel McElroy for a dunk. Still, Logan wasn't done, hitting three more long jumpers to make it 43-16 at the half. The more compelling halftime score, though, was Logan 23, BU 16, and the Terriers didn't overtake Logan until there were 13 1/2 minutes remaining. ``He made a lot of long 3s, and you couldn't do anything about that,'' said Chaz Carr, who guarded Logan most of the game. Cincinnati's excellent shooting - it shot 53.1 percent despite playing substitutes most of the final 10 minutes - didn't surprise Huggins. ``We've been shooting well in practice, and I expected us to shoot well during the game. We know what time it is - that's it's one and out,'' the coach said. Logan seemed ready to threaten his career high of 41 set Feb. 15 against Southern Mississippi, but settled into a playmaker's role in the second half as the Bearcats did little more than work on their outside shooting for Sunday's second round game against UCLA or Mississippi. It was just the start Logan wanted in NCAA play after shooting only 9-for-38 from 3-point range in his previous seven games. He went 10-of-15 overall and 4-of-9 on 3-pointers in 27 minutes. But it certainly wasn't the game BU wanted after winning nine in a row. The Terriers were ranked in the top 10 nationally in defense, but could do nothing to slow Logan, who made sure the game was decided early by keying a 14-2 run at the start. The Terriers missed their first 13 shots and didn't score their first field goal until Rashad Bell's layup with 11:21 left in the half. Bell finished with 16 points. ``It was very discouraging,'' Boston U.'s Billy Collins said. ``We wanted to come out and play well. But we were rushing our shots and not setting up plays, and that put us in a hole.'' Field Williams added 16 points, and McElroy had 11 for Cincinnati, playing in its 11th consecutive NCAA tournament.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/3/197347