TicketsBearcats Go Long To Top Billikens
UC ties season-high with nine three's
Contact: Brian Teter
1/8/2005
Armein Kirkland had 22 points in UC's win over Saint Louis. |
ST. LOUIS, Mo.---Armein Kirkland scored 22 points and Cincinnati tied a season-high with nine three-pointers as the 20th ranked Bearcats won its second straight Conference USA contest, a 69-53 win over Saint Louis on Saturday night at the Savvis Center.
Kirkland had an outstanding all-around game for the Bearcats (13-1, 2-0 C-USA), tying his career-best with four treys and adding six rebounds and five assists. His 22 points was just one off of a career-high. Jason Maxiell had his usual solid game inside, scoring 17 points and adding nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Izik Ohannon led the Billikens (3-10, 1-1 C-USA) with 18 points.
Leading by only nine points with six minutes to go, UC held the Billikens to just one field goal for the balance of the game, an Anthony Drejaj lay-up with seven seconds left, as the Bearcats pulled away. Freshman Roy Bright put an exclamation point on the win with an alley-oop dunk from Kirkland with 34 seconds left.
James White also reached double digits for UC, scoring 13 points. The Bearcats shot 46 percent from the field on the night, while hitting 9 of 23 shots from behind the arc to match their season-best for three?s set against Purdue earlier this year. In addition to Ohannon?s 18 points, Drejaj added 13 for SLU, all coming in the second half.
Saint Louis got off to a fast start on the night as Ohannon scored eight quick points to put the Billikens in front 12-8 seven minutes into the contest. Cincinnati came back to knot the score at 15 on a jumper by Kirkland, before embarking on a 10-3 run that pushed the Bearcats up by five points.
The Billikens got back within one on back-to-back lay-ups by Ohannon, but the second, with 6:11 to play in the half, would go down as Saint Louis? last field goal of the first half. Behind two field goals by Maxiell, the Bearcats closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 34-24 lead into the break.
The first half was evenly contested despite the Bearcats? 10-point cushion. Both teams shot 48 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, while the rebounds were even at 14. Ohannon led all players with 14 first half points, while Kirkland was right behind with 13.
Reggie Bryant, who entered the night as Saint Louis? leading scorer, opened the second half with a triple for three of his eight points on the night. Jihad Muhammad answered on the other end with a three of his own, but three minutes later, the junior would have to take a seat after picking up his third foul. At the 11:37 mark, Eric Hicks converted a lay-up that pushed the Bearcats ahead by their largest margin, 52-36.
Things got worse for the Billikens at the 9:48 mark when Ohannon picked up his fourth foul. The senior from Tel Aviv, Israel would end up fouling out of the contest with 2:31 remaining. After falling behind by 16, Saint Louis then went on a 7-0 run to get back within nine at the nine-minute mark of the half.
Kirkland ended a nearly three-minute Bearcat scoring drought with a jumper, just before Maxiell rattled the rim with a thunderous putback dunk. Drejaj then scored twice in a five-second span, but that would prove to be the Billikens? final field goal of the evening. The Bearcats then scored the game?s next nine points to go ahead by 18 and effectively put an end to the Billikens? hopes.
The victory increases the Bearcats? domination of the series to a 59-18 lead. The 59 wins ranks as the second-highest by Cincinnati over any opponent in what may be the final meeting between the two schools. Both schools will move to new conferences next season with UC headed to the BIG EAST and Saint Louis slated to become a member of the Atlantic 10.
UC will be back in action when they take to the road once more for a Wednesday night battle at East Carolina. Tip-off from Greenville, N.C. is set for 7 p.m. The Bearcats will then return home on Saturday (Jan. 15) to battle archrival Louisville at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
? With three blocked shots, Eric Hicks goes over the century mark in career blocks, ending the night with 102 to his credit.
? Jason Maxiell moved within one point of 19th place (Kenyon Martin) on the UC career scoring list with 1,278 points.
? The Bearcats held Saint Louis to 36 percent shooting, the 11th time this season in 14 games a UC opponent has shot under 40 percent.
? The Bearcats outrebounded their opponent for the ninth time this season. UC is 9-0 in those contests.