By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Field Williams had four 3-pointers. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

Here's an early line on the Dec.7 Crosstown Shootout: Take the University of Cincinnati in a close game.

That prediction comes courtesy of Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie, whose team was thrashed 80-53 by No.21 UC on Tuesday night before 10,873 fans at Shoemaker Center.

UC is 2-0, FAMU 0-2.

Gillespie, whose team lost to XU 93-64 on Sunday, anointed himself an expert on the UC-Xavier game and was more than eager to share his opinion.

"I can tell you who's going to win between Xavier and Cincinnati," Gillespie said. "You really want to know? Cincinnati. I like their homecourt advantage. Xavier is terrific, but with the level of intensity and the defensive pressure, I think Cincinnati is going to win a very close game here."

Rod Flowers (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

It's no surprise UC coach Bob Huggins doesn't put much stock in Gillespie's prediction.

"He and (XU coach) Thad (Matta) are really tight," Huggins said. "He's trying to get me run out of town."

Gillespie understands Huggins' continued frustration with this team, but he says as soon as the Bearcats begin to receive consistent post play, they'll be tough to beat. And having coached Tony Bobbitt in junior college, he says Bobbitt can be a difference maker for UC.

"I think this team is going to be really good," he said.

UC didn't look all that impressive midway through the first half when FAMU, which missed its first nine field goals, reduced a 14-2 lead to 21-18 with 4:20 to go.

The Bearcats responded by outscoring the Rattlers 14-3 the rest of the half, behind four 3-pointers from Field Williams, who rebounded from Saturday's 2-for-14 shooting performance to score a career-high 22 points.

Taron Barker (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

Williams made his first shot, missed his next four, then closed the first half with a flurry. He finished 6-of-11 from 3-point range.

"None of that enters my mind," Williams said. "I just keep shooting."

Williams' woes are solved for the moment, but it's beginning to look as if getting that consistent post play that Gillespie was talking about might be difficult for this team to achieve.

The three UC centers - Derek Hollman, Kareem Johnson and Rod Flowers - combined for just four points and six rebounds.

Forward Jason Maxiell, who functions primarily as a post player, scored nine points with nine rebounds, but made just four of 15 shots, two of which were dunks late in the game. In two games, he's 6-for-27.

"I'm trying to be a presence in the post, but I think I'm trying to do too much," Maxiell said. "I'm just trying too hard."

FAMU trailed by only 11 with 12:28 to go when little-used sophomore walk-on guard Jamaal Lucas scored five quick points to give UC a 51-36 lead.

Leonard Stokes (AP/David Kohl photo) | ZOOM |

The Bearcats, after shooting just 27.9 percent in their opener, improved to a still subpar 39.4 percent. They held FAMU to 28.3 percent

"I think we're still struggling offensively with our continuity or cohesion or one of those words," Huggins said. "I don't think Jason is taking very good shots. We've had some pretty good post players here, but he's taking shots that would be tough for them to make. When he has shots he should take, he doesn't shoot them with any confidence."

NOTES: Florida A&M president Fred Gainous fired athletic director Ken Riley on Tuesday. Riley, 55, had been the AD at his alma mater since 1994.

He was a quarterback at FAMU in the 1960s, then played 15 years for the Bengals before returning to coach the FAMU football team in 1986.

"I'm the first white coach in 53 years in our program," Gillespie said. "Ken Riley is the guy who had the guts to hire me. You ain't going to find a more loyal person. I feel very sorry for Ken Riley."

FAMU	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Griffith	27	0	5	4	7	1	1	3	2	4
Sumter	18	1	3	0	0	7	1	4	3	2
Hill	29	2	9	0	2	10	0	3	3	4
Wilkins	25	2	6	1	2	2	0	2	2	6
Woods	28	4	13	5	7	3	2	1	0	17
White	21	2	6	3	4	1	1	3	3	7
Jackson	17	2	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	5
Henderson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kelly	6	1	2	1	3	1	0	1	2	4
Zamore	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Ayodele	17	0	1	1	2	3	0	2	1	1
Cisse	10	1	4	1	1	1	0	4	1	3
Totals	200	15	53	16	29	35	5	23	20	53

Team rebounds: 5

Cincinnati	M	FG	Att	FT	Att	R	A	F	TO	TP
Stokes	28	6	10	2	3	4	2	3	2	14
Maxiell	28	4	15	1	2	9	0	2	2	9
Hollman	8	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	0
Williams	27	7	15	2	2	7	4	2	0	22
Barker	31	3	6	0	0	8	7	2	1	7
Land	10	1	3	2	2	4	1	3	2	4
Moore	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Meeker	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	6
Lucas	12	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	5
Hicks	6	0	0	1	4	3	1	3	2	1
Bobbitt	17	2	5	2	4	0	2	2	1	8
Flowers	8	1	2	1	2	3	0	2	0	3
Kirkland	6	0	4	0	0	1	1	2	0	0
Johnson	14	0	1	1	4	1	0	2	2	1
Totals	200	28	66	14	25	49	18	24	14	80

Team rebounds: 5.

Florida A&M	21	32	-53
Cincinnati	35	45	-80

Attendance-10,873. 3-point goals-FAMU 7-22 (Griffith 0-1, Wilkins 1-2, Woods 4-13, White 0-1, Jackson 1-3, Kelly 1-1, Ayodele 0-1); UC 10-23 (Williams 6-11, Barker 1-3, Lucas 1-1, Bobbitt 2-5, Kirkland 0-3). Technical fouls-None. Officials-Hillary, Scagliotta, Davis.