TicketsNov. 25, 2011
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CINCINNATI - Marshall University scored the first five points of overtime and held on for a 73-69 win over the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team Friday evening at Fifth Third Arena.
Cincinnati (3-2) closed the gap to two points and had a chance to tie or take the lead with 18.5 seconds left. The Bearcats moved the ball around the perimeter and as redshirt sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick tried to split a double team near the left wing, he was tripped and lost the ball.
Marshall (5-0) point guard Damien Pitts, who totaled 19 points, then made two ensuing free throws and ended UC's hopes of a comeback.
UC's free-throw shooting came back to haunt them as the Bearcats shot just 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from the charity stripe. The Bearcats were outrebounded for the first time this season, 43-30, and allowed 17 offensive boards to the Thundering Herd, who converted those into 12 second-chance points.
Kilpatrick led the Bearcats with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Senior forward Yancy Gates followed with 17 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Dion Dixon added 12 points for the Bearcats.
Junior point guard Cashmere Wright dished out 10 assists, while committing no turnovers, and scored seven points and four steals.
Freshman guard Ge'Lawn Guyn made a three-pointer from the right wing that extended UC's lead to nine points at 47-38; but UC was outscored 23-14 for the rest of the second half.
Marshall took a five point lead when Pitts nailed a three-pointer with 2:05 left, but the Bearcats clawed their way back to tie the score at 61 after Dixon found Gates on a lob pass during a fast break with 1:13 left.
UC had the final possession of regulation with a chance to win the game. Gates took a runner from the right side of the paint that bounced off the backboard and bounced toward Wright, whose putback attempt as time expired was no good.
Cincinnati led for the majority of the first half before Marshall went into halftime with a one-point lead, 30-29, marking the first time this season UC trailed at the break.
With Marshall up 14-9, Kilpatrick scored seven points as the Bearcats went on an 11-1 run to take a 20-15 lead with 8:02 left in the first half.
The Thundering Herd answered with a 10-0 run to capture a 30-27 lead with just over one minute remaining in the first.
After the game's first 20 minutes, Cincinnati outscored Marshall 16-10 in the paint, 8-2 in fast-break points and converted seven MU turnovers into seven points. UC ended the game with a 36-28 advantage in the paint and scored 10 fast-break points compared to Marshall's four.
Cincinnati plays Miami (Ohio) University on Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena. The game will be televised live on FOX Sports Ohio.