TicketsDec. 23, 2006
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CINCINNATI, Ohio---Two days before Christmas, Cincinnati gave itself and its fans an early present as the Bearcats bested North Carolina State, 80-71 on Saturday afternoon in Fifth Third Arena. Deonta Vaughn was the sparkplug of the Bearcat victory, scoring 25 points and finishing with careers highs in assists (nine) and steals (six). UC improves to 8-3 with the win.
North Carolina State (7-4) was in the giving mood, filling Cincinnati's stockings with an astounding 32 turnovers, just three off of the UC single game record. Ben McCauley did his part to keep the Wolfpack in the game, exploding for 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
Cincinnati used balance on the offensive end-four players scored in double figures-and tenacious defense on the ball to secure the victory. Cedric McGowan joined Vaughn in double figures with 15 points, while John Williamson added 13 and Marcus Sikes 10. Vaughn's six steals contributed to UC's season-high total of 13. UC was victorious despite being outrebounded by a season-high total of 11 (38-27).
North Carolina State built on its three-point halftime lead with six quick points to open the second stanza, opening a six-point cushion. The half was one run after another, with Cincinnati's 6-0 burst the first. After the visitors retook the lead at 42-39, the Bearcats exploded, outscoring the Wolfpack 14-2 over the next 4:57 to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish at 53-44.
N.C. State responded with eight straight points to claw within a point, but Williamson answered with three points to put UC back up four with six minutes to go. After a jumper by McCauley, the Bearcats scored eight of the next 10 to establish a comfortable 64-56 lead. From there, UC connected on 8 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes, helping finish off the nine-point victory.
Vaughn's scoring prowess and the Wolfpack's high percentage shooting served as the storylines for an exciting first half. Vaughn, UC's sharp shooting freshman guard, scored the Bearcats first 12 points of the game, canning four three pointers in the first six minutes of play.
Despite Vaughn's early heroics, the Wolfpack stayed right with the Bearcats, pounding the inside with the combination of McCauley and Brandon Costner. North Carolina State's 6-9 and 6-8 duo combined for the visitors first 11 points of the afternoon, leaving the Bearcats with a 12-11 lead at the 14:00 mark of the half.
After a jumper by Gavin Grant put N.C. State up for the first time at 13-12, Williamson and McGowan connected on consecutive field goals to allow UC to reassume the lead. N.C. State responded by scoring 12 of the next 16 points over a stretch of five-plus minutes giving the Wolfpack a five-point advantage.
With just under three minutes remaining in the half, the Bearcats trimmed their deficit to three on a lay-in by Sikes. N.C. State then opened its biggest lead of the first half at seven when Dennis Horner knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 33-26. The first half closed with a McGowan lay-in and a Vaughn steal and bucket in the final minute, cutting N.C. State's lead to 33-30 at the half.
North Carolina State rode a sizzling 65 percent shooting effort in the first half, scoring 16 of its 33 points in the paint. McCauley did the bulk of the damage, converting all five of his field goal attempts and 3 of 4 from the free throw line for 13 points. Vaughn carried the Bearcats, making 6 of 10 shots for 16 points. The rest of the UC roster shot just 6 of 24 as the home team finished the opening 20 minutes at just 35 percent shooting. The Bearcat defense made its mark by forcing 16 turnovers, but was beaten on the boards by a 19-10 count.
After shooting an eye popping 65 percent in the first 20 minutes, N.C. State shot a still respectable 52 percent after the break to finish at 57 percent for the game. Costner added 14, while Courtney Fells tacked on 13 and Horner 10.
The Bearcats return to action, battling local rival Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The annual contest will be played in downtown Cincinnati at US Bank Arena.