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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Even Oscar Robertson wanted to see more of the Sean Kilpatrick show. Dee Milliner . 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. Wayne Chrebet .com) - Fourth-seeded Chinese star Li Na and No. Ryan Quigley . The 29-year-old German, the 2011 overall World Cup champion, says she has decided "to end my career now.LOS ANGELES -- The Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings walked between the palm trees into the Dodger Stadium outfield, a beach volleyball court on their right and a Kiss performance stage to their left. A surprisingly good ice rink was straight ahead, glistening in the Hollywood night. "We felt like rock stars," Anaheim defenceman Ben Lovejoy said. "That was by far the coolest feeling Ive ever had playing hockey." After all the spectacle and sensation of the NHLs first warm-weather outdoor game, Jonas Hiller and the Ducks demonstrated whos on top of this rivalry -- with or without a roof. Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey scored first-period goals, and the Ducks beat the Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. Hiller made 36 saves in his 20th career shutout as the league-leading Ducks dominated the landmark meeting of Southern Californias two hockey teams under the stars in Chavez Ravine. Andrew Cogliano added an empty-net goal with 1:29 left to close this unusual chapter in the NHLs expanded slate of outdoor games. "Its a little different playing out here, but its nothing that threw us off," Hiller said. The league threw a California carnival for the event: People in shorts and tank tops played Frisbee and practiced yoga between periods while skateboarders rolled past a ball hockey court featuring youth teams. Although the temperature was 63 degrees with significant humidity when Wayne Gretzky dropped the first puck, the ice held up fairly well in the night air. The Ducks had no problems adjusting to the new sightlines and backgrounds while shutting out the Kings. "It was maybe a little slower than some rinks, but it was smooth," Anaheims Teemu Selanne said. "Were used to not-good ice out (West) anyway. The whole package was incredible. You dont have that many chances to play in front of 55,000 people. This was pretty high on my bucket list." The Ducks earned their 21st victory in 24 games, beating Los Angeles for the second time in three days. The Kings lost their fifth straight game. The Kings hosted the first official outdoor game west of the Rocky Mountains in recognition of the NHLs near half-century in Los Angeles and their rivalry with the Ducks, who joined the league two decades ago. And though this game bore little resemblance to the snowbound outdoor contests in northern climes, the excited fans and enthused players embraced this unorthodox version of pond hockey with gusto. "I cant see any reason we shouldnt do this more," Selanne said. "The quality of hockey was greatt. Jeff Cumberland. Im going to remember this." The teams wore specially designed jerseys for the game, with the Kings crown logo dominating their grey jerseys while the Ducks sported bright orange. After a day filled with fan events and celebrations of the cold-weather sports rich California roots, Anaheim showed whos currently in charge of this rivalry. The Ducks followed up their 2-1 victory in Thursdays rivalry meeting in Anaheim by opening a seven-point lead over Chicago atop the overall standings. Jonathan Quick made 18 saves as the Kings matched their longest skid of an otherwise solid season. After getting a goal in the opening minutes of Thursdays loss, Los Angeles hasnt scored in 116 consecutive minutes against the Ducks. "As for us not scoring goals, its been a constant theme, and its getting embarrassing," Los Angeles defenceman Drew Doughty said. "So we need to pick up our socks, and everyone needs to get hungry around the net and score goals." Hiller made 20 saves and stopped Anze Kopitars penalty shot in the first period, and the Swiss netminder turned away every good scoring chance after that in his fourth shutout and 24th victory of the season. Just 2:45 in, Perry scored the first goal in Dodger Stadium history, connecting rather easily on a rebound of Ryan Getzlafs shot off a faceoff. Less than six minutes later, Beleskey was alone at the side of Quicks net to score on a play set up by Selannes pass. Kopitar was awarded a penalty shot midway through the period when Lovejoy hooked him on a breakaway, but the Kings leading scorer couldnt do much with the puck, and Hiller stopped it. "The experience was fun and it was exciting, playing on a stage like this in front of all those people, but it was definitely not the outcome we wanted," Kopitar said. Cogliano had the best scoring chance of the second period, but lost the puck on a breakaway. Hiller was outstanding after struggling in his last start against Winnipeg, and Cogliano wrapped up the win in the closing seconds with his 17th goal. NOTES: The crowd was announced at 54,099 -- a number that likely made Gretzky smile. ... Despite significant public interest, the game didnt sell out until early Saturday. The NHL overpriced many tickets when they first went on sale, forcing price reductions and refunds in the sections that werent selling. ... Perry joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the first players to score a goal in their respective sports at Dodger Stadium. Last August, Ronaldo scored Real Madrids first goal against Everton in the stadiums first soccer game. ' ' ' |
