TicketsJan. 7, 2006
MILWAUKEE, Wis.---Eric Hicks had a triple-double and Cincinnati recorded a school record 18 blocks as the Bearcats overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to post a 70-66 win over Marquette on Saturday in BIG EAST basketball action. UC's victory, its second in two tries in its new league, runs the Bearcats' win streak to 10 in a row.
Hicks turned in one of the most dominating interior performances ever by a UC player as he led all players with 22 points, while grabbing 12 rebounds and matching the school record with 10 blocked shots. The triple-double was the 16th in program history and first since Kenny Satterfield's on Jan. 29, 2001 vs. Tulane.
UC finished the game with 18 blocks, surpassing the total of 15 against Iowa State on Nov. 28, 1999. In addition to Hicks' 10, White turned back a career-high four shots. Hicks' total matched that of three other players, including Kenyon Martin who twice achieved the total.
With the win, Cincinnati keeps pace atop the BIG EAST standings and improves to 13-2 on the year. Marquette is 11-4, 1-1 BIG EAST with the setback.
Armein Kirkland turned in one of his best performances of the year with 14 points, while White tacked on a dozen. White, UC's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, tallied all 12 of his points in the first half, after being saddled with second half foul trouble. Jihad Muhammad chipped in 10 points off the bench for the Bearcats.
Marquette's big three of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Steve Novak proved as good as advertised, combining for 51 points. James, one of the BIG EAST's top freshmen, led the Golden Eagles with 18 points. Novak, who scorched No. 2 Connecticut on Tuesday night for 41 points, got 17 against UC, while McNeal, also a freshman, added 16.
After trailing by 10 at the break, Cincinnati used a 15-2 second half run to take a lead it would not relinquish with just over eight minutes remaining. Kirkland was particularly stout during the run, scoring seven of his 14 points.
In the late goings of the game, two McNeal lay-ups drew Marquette to within 65-64 with 2:54 remaining. Baskets by Hicks and Muhammad pushed the Cincinnati lead back to five, but the last 30 seconds were nerve racking for the Bearcats as the Eagles staged one final charge. Kirkland and White, two of UC's best free throw shooters at 81 and 88 percent, respectively each missed the front end of one and one situations, allowing Marquette the chance to tie the score, trailing 69-66. But UC's defense proved up to the task, as Novak was bottled up, forcing McNeal to miss a three with four seconds remaining. A Muhammad free throw with one second to go iced the Bearcat victory.
The opening to the day's action started off as a track meet as Cincinnati rode eight early points by White to a 16-12 lead with 13:14 remaining. The Bearcats continued to lead, seeing their advantage at 26-23 when Kirkland dropped in a three-pointer with 9:12 remaining. Cincinnati's shooting would go cold however, as the Bearcats went nearly four and a half minutes without a field goal, while falling behind, 32-30. Downey broke the drought with a jumper to knot the score at 32 with 3:52 left and two White free throws 32 seconds later tied the score again at 34. The Golden Eagles then kicked it into high gear, outscoring the Bearcats by a 12-2 margin over the final 3:07 of the half to take a 46-36 lead into the break.
The Bearcats turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, allowing Marquette to shoot just 29 percent after the break. The Eagles ended the contest at 38 percent from the floor. UC won the rebounding battle by a 42 to 36 margin, led by Hicks' game-high 12. Novak paced the Marquette defense with 10 rebounds.
UC will now turn to one of its stiffest tests of the year, when it travels to Connecticut for a Monday night match-up. The Bearcats will make their first-ever appearance on ESPN's Big Monday broadcast, with action kicking off at the Hartford Civic Center at 7 p.m.