TicketsNov. 21, 2011
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CINCINNATI - Senior forward Yancy Gates recorded his 15th career double-double to lead the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team to a 71-43 win over Northwestern State University of Louisiana Monday evening at Fifth Third Arena.
Gates, who finished the night with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, has reached double-figure point totals in 12 of his last 13 games, dating back to Feb. 19 at Providence College.
In addition to Gates, UC received double-digit points from redshirt sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick (13), senior guard Dion Dixon (12) and freshman guard Ge'Lawn Guyn, whose 10 points is a career best.
Their 28-point margin of victory and 28 free-throw attempts were season highs for the Bearcats.
UC has held its last nine nonconference opponents to fewer than 60 points, dating back to a home win vs. Utah State on Dec. 11, 2010.
The Bearcats gradually built upon their 15-point halftime lead with aggressive offensive play in the second half.
Starting at the 11:21 mark of the second, UC went on a 13-0 run that saw Kilpatrick produce six points and extended its lead to 60-33.
A three-pointer from redshirt junior guard Cashmere Wright increased UC's lead to 22 points, 55-33, with 9:55 left. Wright finished the game with nine points, three rebounds and two assists.
Consecutive three-pointers from Kilpatrick and Guyn extended Cincinnati's lead to 41-22 at the 15:32 mark of the second half.
Two free-throws by Dixon with 11 seconds remaining in the first half capped off a 12-2 UC run to close out the first stanza and gave Cincinnati a 31-16 lead at the break, its biggest lead to that point.
After Northwestern State cut the lead to seven, a Kilpatrick three from the left corner put the Bearcats back ahead by double digits, 24-14, with 2:28 left in the first half.
Trailing 6-7, UC went on an 11-0 run starting at the 14:08 mark that featured four points by Wright and gave UC a 10-point lead.
Cincinnati was forceful on the offensive end in the first half, getting to the free-throw line 12 times, led by Dixon's eight attempts from the charity stripe. The 6-foot-3 guard finished the game with a career high 10 free-throw attempts, making eight.
Dixon led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, followed by nine points from Gates. Sophomore forward Justin Jackson grabbed seven rebounds in game's first 20 minutes, two short of his career high.
Cheikh Mbodj made his Bearcats debut after missing UC's first three games due to an ankle injury. The 6-foot-10 junior center scored two points, grabbed one rebound and blocked one shot in 11 minutes of action.
UC welcomes Marshall University to Fifth Third Arena on Friday beginning at 7 p.m., which will be presented live on ESPN3.