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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Even Oscar Robertson wanted to see more of the Sean Kilpatrick show. Neil Walker Pirates Jersey . The Hall of Famer sat courtside and watched the senior guard score 26 points and get a team-high 12 rebounds on Thursday night, rallying No. 7 Cincinnati to a 63-58 victory over No. 22 Connecticut. The Bearcats (22-2, 11-0 American Athletic) got their 15th straight win with Kilpatrick finishing it off at the free throw line in the closing seconds. During a late timeout, Robertson raised his hand in a shooting motion toward Kilpatrick, who knew what he meant. Kilpatricks response? A "take-it-easy" motion. "He kept giving me the signal to shoot," Kilpatrick said. "I told him to relax." The Bearcats trailed for most of the game, their first with a No. 7 ranking that is their highest in 10 years. A crowd of 12,432 -- their biggest of the season -- watched them win. Cincinnati has won 18 straight at home, including all 16 this season. The Bearcats are off to their best start in 12 years. "Thats what weve been hoping for," forward Titus Rubles said. "Its good to see the city excited for Cincinnati basketball again. We definitely enjoyed the crowd today. It was a big factor in helping us with our energy." Justin Jackson had six of his 15 points and blocked a shot during a 13-4 run that rallied Cincinnati midway through the second half. Jermaine Sanders two free throws with 18.5 seconds left gave Cincinnati a 61-58 lead. UConns Niels Giffey missed a three-point attempt, and Kilpatrick got the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws. "The mark of great players is that they rise to the occasion," Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. "He has the ability to rise to the occasion." Shabazz Napier scored 16 points for the Huskies (17-5, 5-4) who were playing their highest-ranked opponent this season. They are 2-2 against Top 25 teams, with wins over Florida and Memphis and losses to Louisville and Cincinnati. Two hours before tip-off, Cincinnati introduced Mike Bohn as its next athletic director. His top priority: Get the Bearcats into a better conference. Cincinnati and Connecticut tried to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but were rebuffed. Instead, Louisville will move from the American Athletic into the ACC next season. The game matched two of the AACs top guards. Kilpatrick leads the league at 19.4 points per game, while Napier averages 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. Shabazz got the better of it early. Kilpatrick, who played all 40 minutes, rallied the Bearcats at the end. "Justin Jackson and Kilpatrick took over the game," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "It was a heck of a performance by (Kilpatrick). We couldnt get him out of the game. They just took it to us in the second half." Napier went only 2 of 12 beyond the arc and missed a three-point attempt that could have put the Huskies ahead with 30 seconds to go. Connecticut led for all but 40 seconds in the first half with its guards darting through Cincinnatis defence for layups and assists. Ryan Boatright scored six consecutive points as UConn pulled ahead 21-15. He fell hard on his left shoulder while going for the ball and left the game grimacing. He returned a few minutes later and scored only three points the rest of the game. Napier made a driving bank shot high off the backboard, then drove under the basket and passed outside to Giffey for a wide-open three-pointer that built UConns lead to 26-18. Another three by Giffey gave the Huskies a 10-point lead. The Huskies made four of their first six shots in the second half to hold the lead. Omar Calhouns baseline jumper put the Huskies ahead 42-34. Jackson then led the Bearcats on the 13-4 run. He emphatically blocked a shot to set up a fast break that culminated in Kilpatricks dunk. Jackson picked up a loose ball on the Bearcats next possession and dunked, then followed with a driving bank shot for a 47-46 lead with 7:34 left. Kilpatrick hit another three that started a six-point spurt and gave Cincinnati its biggest lead, 53-49. The Bearcats stayed ahead the rest of the way. Ernie Banks Cubs Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Ted Williams Red Sox Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Chris Epperson shot a 9-under 63 on Friday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Web.TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. No way were the Wildcats going to let their biggest rival get even a sniff of a comeback. Top-ranked Arizona raced out to a big early lead and extended it with a strong start to the second half, rolling past rival Arizona State in a 91-68 rout Thursday night. "We tried to start out the game really well and made some shots and some stops on defence, then did the same thing in the second half," said Arizona guard Nick Johnson, who led the Wildcats with 17 points. "We didnt want to give them any false hope of trying to come back or anything." There wasnt much chance the way the Wildcats were playing. Arizona (18-0, 5-0 Pac-12) dominated the Sun Devils almost from the opening tip, turning missed shots and turnovers into points at the other end while building a 21-point lead in the first half. The Wildcats didnt let up, either, stretching the lead to extend the best start in school history. Arizona put seven players in double figures, shot 56 per cent and had 21 assists on 34 field goals to beat the Sun Devils for the sixth time in seven games. Aaron Gordon had 16 points, and Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats. T.J. McConnell finished with 10 points, six assists and three steals. "No doubt about it, we have a group of guys that plays with a lot of energy, a lot of effort and we are willing to share the ball," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. Arizona State (13-5, 2-3) played without second-leading scorer Jermaine Marshall and had trouble with Arizonas size all night, shooting 34 per cent. Jahii Carson had 20 points and five assists, but struggled early and had at least four shots blocked. ASU centre Jordan Bachynski battled foul trouble in the first half and wasnt much of a factor when he was in the game, finishing with three points while mmissing all three of his shots. Brian Wilson Dodgers Jersey. . Bo Barnes added 13 points for the Sun Devils, who had 18 turnovers and seven assists. "You look at the results they are posting night in and night out, it wasnt a surprise, only a confirmation," Sun Devils coach Herb Sendek said of Arizona. "They are very well balanced and their size is a factor." Arizona has gotten off to the best start in school history behind its defence The Wildcats entered the game fourth nationally in scoring at 56 points per game, seventh in field goal percentage at 37 per cent and 13th in 3-point shooting at 28 per cent. Arizona State was already going to have a tough time against the long, athletic Wildcats and it certainly didnt help that Marshall was out after injuring his groin in practice this week. Revved up by the boisterous crowd, Arizona was at its defensive best early, contesting every shot, pass and dribble. Arizona State missed 15 of its first 17 shots and Carson had nowhere to go against Arizonas pressure -- particularly McConnell -- while missing his first five shots. After a jittery offensive start, the Wildcats started hitting from everywhere, racing out to a 21-point lead while making 14 of 28 shots. The Sun Devils started to shoot a little better late in the half, but had a hard time digging out of the hole, trailing 42-28 after shooting 6 of 26. Arizona kept rolling to start the second half, hitting five of its first eight shots to stretch the lead to 22. Gordon then scored on an alley-oop, Tarczewski threw down a dunk on a no-look pass from Gabe York and McConnell dropped in a 3-pointer, flashing three fingers to the fans across from the bench after putting the Wildcats up 59-38. "Those guys are ready to play every day," said Carson, who shot 7 of 19. "They have great leadership and are No. 1 in the country for a reason. They just have so many weapons." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
