By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Leonard Stokes offered no excuses for his substandard nine-point performance Wednesday in the University of Cincinnati's 56-52 loss to DePaul.

"I just wasn't aggressive," Stokes said Thursday. "I want to forget about it. I think I let my teammates down. It was a horrendous game on my part."

Stokes, who leads UC with a 16.5-point average, made just one of 10 shots against the Blue Demons. He took only three shots in the first half, didn't score until the 5:03 mark of the first half and didn't make a field goal until he connected on a trey with 2:00 left.

He also missed the front end of a one-and-one bonus free throw situation with 3:08 left.

The senior forward, who has made key baskets for UC (13-4, 6-1 Conference USA) in five of its wins this season, was held below double figures in scoring for the first time this season.

"I didn't play like I've been playing," Stokes said. "I was like scared to make a mistake. I'm a senior. I can't do things like that."

Stokes said he spent much of the bus ride home from Chicago after the game trying to forget about what happened against DePaul and focusing on Saturday's game against No.18 Marquette (14-3, 6-1).

The Marquette game, important before Wednesday's loss, now becomes crucial to UC's quest for an eighth straight conference championship. The Bearcats then face No.8 Louisville (15-1, 6-0) Wednesday at Louisville.

"It's definitely a must-win situation," Stokes said. "We've got to play harder than we've ever played. It's probably one of my biggest games since I've been here. We've got to come through."

RETURN OF THE PRESS? If there was anything encouraging from Wednesday's loss, which ended an eight-game winning streak, it was the success of UC's press. The Bearcats created some easy baskets and wiped out a 10-point halftime deficit.

But Huggins said that doesn't mean the press is here to stay.

The players stopped pressing after they took a brief lead.

"We were trying to get back in the game," Huggins said. "We don't play hard enough to press, and we're not deep enough to press. I'd like to get back to where we can press for 40 minutes."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com