COLLEGE HOOPS: Houston dominates Cincinnati, secures No. 2 seed in AAC tournament

University of Houston junior guard Damyean Dotson rises for a three-point shot against Cincinnati Thursday, March 3, at Hofheinz Pavilion. Dotson scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the 69-56 victory. less University of Houston junior guard Damyean Dotson rises for a three-point shot against Cincinnati Thursday, March 3, at Hofheinz Pavilion. Dotson scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the ... more Photo: Tony Gaines Photo: Tony Gaines Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close COLLEGE HOOPS: Houston dominates Cincinnati, secures No. 2 seed in AAC tournament 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

HOUSTON - The University of Houston Cougars put together their most complete and polished effort this season, capping off the regular season with a 69-56 win over Cincinnati Thursday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Cougars turned the ball over only five teams, dictating the pace and defensively manhandling a team that - prior to the contest - sat ahead of Houston in the American Athletic Conference standings. With the win, Houston has won a red-hot nine of its last 11 games and clinches the second seed in the AAC Tournament, which starts next week in Orlando.

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson credited his players, as much for their character and leadership as for their performance on the court.

“It’s all about getting better,” Sampson said. “When you have great player leadership, that’s when your team can really take off. I’ve been so blessed to have that.”

Sampson pointed to a few key players as examples of the kind of leadership that can catalyze a team and generate the sort of ‘take off’ that fans have witnessed over the last few weeks in Houston, like senior forward Devonta Pollard, senior guard LeRon Barnes and junior guard Damyean Dotson.

“When you’ve got leadership like Devonta and LeRon, it’s the best thing that could happen to [freshman guard] Galen Robinson,” Sampson said. “And then along the way, here comes Dotson. Dotson started developing into a leader, taking ownership.”

Dotson, fresh off earning AAC Player of the Week honors, showed everyone in attendance why he has earned a reputation for efficiency and effort, scoring 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting (3-of-5 from three-point land) and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

The Cincinnati win is one of the more impressive defensive performances the Cougars have put together, and Sampson lauded junior forward Bertrand Nkali and junior guard Ronnie Johnson with providing the sparks.

“Bert and Ronnie really keyed us defensively there early,” Sampson said. “Every time there was a 50-50 ball, we got it. And our deal is, when we get a 50-50 ball, we’re gone. We’re going to play as fast as we can.”

Sampson and the Cougars have long known that their ideal style of pace is a downhill, transition-offense rich pace game, but recently, that vision has begun to bear very tangible fruit. Sampson acknowledged his team’s improving aptitude in dictating the style of play.

“It came down to, ‘can we impose our will?’” Sampson said. “And our will is our speed in transition, and I thought we did a good job of pushing it, and we never slowed down.”

The Cougars are rounding into form at precisely the right time, with the conference tournament looming. The second-seeded Cougars are currently the only team in the conference to have beaten every other AAC team (Temple will have a chance to do the same against Tulane March 6). That fact, and the polished, proficient transition play, bode well for Houston in the tournament.

“Our culture, our system, is in place,” Sampson said. “Now we have a clear understanding of how we want to win the game - not play the game, win the game, because that’s why we play. We play to win.”