Cincinnati did not shoot the ball very well but did just about everything else right.

Yancy Gates scored 12 points and the Bearcats pounded the boards and played hounding defense for a 54-41 victory over Savannah State on Wednesday in a non-conference matchup.

Cincinnati (4-0) shot just 34 percent (18-of-53) from the field but made up for it in other ways. The Bearcats outrebounded the Tigers, 34-26, and forced 17 turnovers.

Gates added nine rebounds and three assists for Cincinnati, which had 15 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. The Bearcats also scored 23 points off of turnovers.

Jovonni Shuler scored 14 points and had four rebounds for Savannah State (1-6), which was playing the fifth game of a six-game road trip. The Tigers have dropped six in a row since a season-opening victory over Brewton Parker College.

Joshua Montgomery added nine points for the Tigers, who were only able to turn 18 turnovers by the Bearcats into eight points.