NICEVILLE, Florida - In a rematch of the 2014 championship game, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats won the Emerald Coast Classic over Ole Miss 71-57 Saturday night on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.

UC has now won five straight since the team's opening loss to Ohio State.

Junior Jarron Cumberland was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament with 25 points, 18 of those in the first half. Though just 5-of-17 from the field and 2-of-8 on three-pointers, Cumberland was effective getting to the line and canned 13-of-14 free throws.

"I'm proud of the team," Cumberland said. "It's basically how we overcame and got better as a team. From our first game to now, we've really worked in practice and got better as a team."

Cane Broome also made the all-tournament team, finishing with nine points. Keith Williams and Trevon Scott also had nine points each with Scott grabbing nine boards. UC shot 40 percent for the game, 42.9 from the arc (6-of-14) and 25-for-35 on free throws.

Defensively, they could be coming around holding Ole Miss to a 3-for-21 night (14.3 percent) from the perimeter.

"It's a long process," Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. "You still have to watch the film and try to get better. You can't win and still not try to improve. I will say this, for the first time this year, we looked like the last two years defensively. We only gave up 24 points in the second half because our guys were really in tune with what Ole Miss was trying to run against us."

Ole Miss came into the game averaging nearly 80 points per contest and shooting 47 percent. Their previous loss was at Butler 83-76 Nov. 16. The 57 points were a season-low and Terence Davis finished with a goose egg in points despite playing 31 minutes.

Davis averages 17 per game for the Rebels with Breein Tyree averaging 17.3. Sophomore Devontae Shuler led Ole Miss with 24.

"We really did a good job on Davis and (Breein) Tyree," Cronin said. "Tyree did get 14 and Davis had none. At the end of the day, if you only give up 57, you're going to win a lot of games."

Ole Miss freshman Blake Hinson put Ole Miss up 42 seconds into the game with a three-pointer. For 1:20 the Rebels led, but would not lead again. Playing with more defensive intensity than the night before, UC built a lead that reached 11 at one point with Cumberland hitting 18 first-half points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Late in the half, Ole Miss coach Davis inserted 7-foot junior Dominik Olejniczak to counter UC's height. The native of Poland was able to change some shots, make a bank shot and a couple of free throws before picking up his third foul.

At 37-30 after Olejniczak's free throws, UC couldn't convert and the Rebels were off and running down the floor with six seconds.

Sophomore Shuler, who had 18 first-half points of his own, drained a three-pointer pulling Ole Miss within four at the break, 37-33. Shuler came into the game averaging just 7.5 points.

As the second half began, Ole Miss picked up the defense again employing a half-court trap that stifled UC. Shuler again would deliver with a dunk on a fast break to tie the game at 39, then again at 41. From there, UC went on an 8-0 run with the Rebels not scoring until Nysier Brooks got called for goaltending on a block attempt.

The Bearcats amped up the defense again and went on a 7-0 run featuring layups by their left-handed guards Jenifer and Broome, with Cumberland breaking a second-half drought in between for to give UC a 13-point edge, 56-43.

"Coach always tells me, 'Don't focus on the shots you miss,'" Cumberland said of his brief second-half slump. "Always come back and think you're going to make your other ones. I played in games like this last year and I learned from the seniors."

The lead expanded at 6:23 when Broome drained a trey and a technical foul was called on Terence Davis.

The Bearcats did have a technical in the game on the bench. It came late in the contest with Coach Cronin sending Trevor Moore to the locker room as punishment. Moore had not played in the game.

UC was in charge from that point on, taking the game by 14 and the Emerald Coast Classic championship trophy for the first time. Attendance on the night was 1,250 in a facility that sat roughly 2,100. Cronin mentioned he would like to return but it would be at least four years from now for Cincinnati fans familiar with the Destin area.

No Nevada allowed

With their lead expanding into double digits and a timeout with six minutes left, Cronin referenced the Nevada NCAA tournament game last year where UC let an 18-point lead slide. As painful as that was, it could become a point of reference.

"We talked about not giving up the three-point shot with a big lead," Cronin said. "Today they didn't make a three in the last six minutes. When you're up 15, they don't have the time to catch you without the three-point shot."

Always good to get one back

Ole Miss under former coach Andy Kennedy defeated the Bearcats 66-54 three years ago in the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic. UC defeated current Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis and his Middle Tennessee State team in the semis that year. Davis led Middle Tennessee to three NCAA tournaments in 16 seasons prior to taking over the Ole Miss Rebels. Saturday night's win was UC's first against Ole Miss in 64 years (1954) and gives them a 2-1 edge in the all-time series.

The week ahead

UC (5-1) returns to Fifth Third Arena Tuesday night against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. Next Saturday they open December at UNLV.