Jamaal Davis (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        UC coach Bob Huggins was not happy with Jamaal Davis early in the first half Thursday night, and when the junior power forward came to the bench, Huggins let him know it.

        “I don't really call it "getting on me,'” Davis said. “I think it's a motivation-and encouragement-type deal with Coach. Some guys might take it a different way.”

        After finishing the first half with four points and two rebounds, Davis played an efficient second half, hitting all five of his field goal attempts.

        Davis finished with a career high-tying 16 points and six rebounds in the Bearcats' 65-55 victory over UNC Wilmington.

        “Jamaal turned it around,” Huggins said. “Jamaal was about as bad as he's ever been early. Then I thought he played pretty good the second half.”

        Said Davis: “I have to come out and play (hard), and I think guys will feed off how I play.”

        SURGERY SCHEDULED: Rodney Crawford is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a broken right ankle and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The 6-foot-5 junior forward was injured in practice Tuesday.

        Dr. Angelo Colosimo, the team's orthopedic surgeon, will perform the surgery, during which he will insert two screws into the fracture to enhance healing.

        Colosimo said Crawford's injury is the same one that will sideline Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic for the NBA season.

        “It's a typical basketball players' fracture,” Colosimo said. “If you fix it immediately and treat it aggressively, they heal. But it's a very temperamental fracture.”

        Crawford, a Withrow High School graduate, is a walk-on who has averaged one points and four rebounds in six games.

        WORKING OVERTIME: Antwan Peek said he got off the bus with the UC football team at 4:50p.m. Thursday. Within the next hour, he suited up for the basketball team.

        “Football season is over, so I joined my other team,” he said.

        Fresh off Wednesday's Motor City Bowl appearance, Peek did not play for the Bearcats on Thursday.

        He said team doctors have talked to him about having surgery next week to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, but Peek said he does not intend to have the operation — at least for now.

        “It only bothers me every now and then,” he said.

        NOTABLE NUMBER: Donald Little's 16 rebounds were the most for a Bearcat since Kenyon Martin's 17 against Houston (Feb.17) last season.

        UP NEXT: UC plays Toledo at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Rock-N-Roll Shootout in Cleveland's Gund Arena.

UC 65, UNC Wilmington 55 Davis follows bad with good UC women 72, Butler 44

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