TicketsFeb. 4, 2007
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CINCINNATI, Ohio -Deonta Vaughn scored 17 points and added four assists, but Qa'rraan Calhoun netted 18 points to lead St. John's to a 73-64 victory over host Cincinnati.
Marcus Sikes scored 15 points and John Williamson added 13 points and six rebounds in a losing effort.
The Bearcats found themselves playing from behind early, after Calhoun had a three-point play, Avery Patterson hit a 3-pointer, and Anthony Mason, Jr. had an alley-oop dunk for an 8-0 lead. UC's Marvin Gentry drained his only 3-pointer of the afternoon to make the score 8-3.
St. John's (13-10, 4-6) led the entire game and finished it off behind Mason, who totaled nine points despite eight turnovers.
Cincinnati (10-12, 1-7) forced St. John's into 21 turnovers and reciprocated with 12 miscues. Vaughn and Jamual Warren each carded three steals for UC.
The Red Storm stretched the lead to 30-17 on Hamilton's three-point play and his two free throws with 2:47 left in the half. The Bearcats' pressure defense yielded five St. John's turnovers in the closing minutes of the half, allowing the hosts to cut it to 30-24 at the break.
UC forward John Williamson started the second half a dunk and a 17-foot jumper to open the second half, cutting the margin to 31-28. St. John's Patterson then hit back-to-back 3s to blunt the comeback, and the Red Storm's resurgence stretched the deficit to 12, at 41-29 with 14:42 remaining.
The pace of the game kept UC within striking distance. The Bearcats used a jumper by Cedric McGowan, two Williamson free throws and a charity toss by Williamson to trim the lead to 50-45 with less than eight minutes to play. The game stayed within reach until Mason hit a jumpshot from behind the 3-point arc and a layin with just over one minute to play to extend the margin to double digits.
Cincinnati shot 33 percent from the field, while the Red Storm converted 20-of-41 from the floor (49 percent). St. John's netted 26-of-32 from the freethrow line, while UC made good on 16-of-27 charity tosses.
The Red Storm corraled 34 caroms while the Bearcats totaled 32 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive end.