CINCINNATI (AP) – Power forward Eric Hicks wiped away tears after a pre-game embrace from ousted coach Bob Huggins, then scored 18 points Saturday, leading Cincinnati to a 78-75 victory over No. 16 West Virginia.

Huggins attended a game at the Bearcats’ arena for the first time since he was forced out last August. He got a standing ovation and hugged the Bearcats’ five seniors during pregame festivities – a surreal start to an important game for Cincinnati.

The Bearcats (19-11, 8-8 Big East) felt they needed a high-profile win to strengthen their credentials for the NCAA tournament. A team that has been in turmoil since Huggins’ departure in August earned it with big contributions from its seniors and two key free throws from its true freshman.

Point guard Devan Downey’s two free throws with 1.3 seconds left clinched the win and completed his 16-point performance. Jihad Muhammad added 17.

West Virginia (20-9, 11-5 ) didn’t have much at stake in its final regular-season game. The Mountaineers had already clinched third place in the Big East and were guaranteed a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

Kevin Pittsnoggle led the Mountaineers with 23 points, and Mike Gansey went 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point arc while scoring 20.

The Bearcats’ last home game showed they still haven’t gotten beyond Huggins’ ouster. He repeatedly got standing ovations from the capacity crowd, who also chanted for school president Nancy Zimpher to give interim coach Andy Kennedy a contract.

It’s still a program at a crossroads.

After Downey made his two clinching free throws, Hicks jumped into the student section and Kennedy got a hug from Huggins. Kennedy then thanked the fans for supporting the team through its tribulations, adding, “One last thing: Huggs, we love you, brother.”

Huggins was invited by Hicks, one of the five seniors who received framed photographs of themselves at midcourt during a pregame tribute. Huggins stood at an opposite end of the court while the seniors were introduced.

Hicks then led the seniors over to Huggins, who embraced each of them while the crowd exulted. Hicks wiped away tears with his white warmup shirt after the embrace. Huggins dabbed a tear from the corner of his right eye.

“I wanted to be here, but I didn’t want to do anything they (the school) didn’t want me to do,” Huggins said.

West Virginia tried to overcome the Bearcats’ emotion by getting the ball inside to the 6-foot-11 Pittsnoggle, who likes to shoot 3-pointers but could do more damage inside. Pittsnoggle is 5 inches taller than anyone on the Bearcats’ front line.

He shook loose from the 6-foot-6 Hicks and made a layup that started a 9-0 run and put the Mountaineers up 16-12 and got the crowd grumbling.

Cincinnati’s tight man-to-man defense – its trademark under Huggins – started taking a toll, forcing the Mountaineers to rush their shots. The defense fueled a 15-2 spurt capped by Hicks’ emphatic dunk, putting the Bearcats ahead to stay 33-23.

Muhammad hit a jumper and a pair of 3’s during an 11-1 spurt that built the lead to 48-35 early in the second half.

A 3’s by Gansey cut it to 66-64 with 5:03 to go, setting a back-and-forth tone for the rest of the way. The Bearcats held on by going 3-of-5 from the free-throw line in the final 12 seconds.

AP-ES-03-04-06 1422EST