TicketsFeb. 15, 2012
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team defeated Providence College 81-66 Wednesday evening at Fifth Third Arena.
Cincinnati (18-8, 8-5 BIG EAST) was led by offensively by redshirt sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick, who scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior forward Yancy Gates followed with 16 points and added nine rebounds.
Providence (13-14, 2-12 BIG EAST) junior guard Vincent Council led all scorers with 29 points on 10 of 22 shooting. PC freshman forward LaDontae Henton added 24 points for the Friars.
Starting at the 1:41 mark of the first half, UC went on a 14-0 run that lasted until the 18:04 point of the second half to take a commanding 48-25 lead.
Providence steadily cut the 23-point deficit, getting as close as eight points at 66-59 points at the 4:26 mark after going on a 9-0 run starting at the 5:52 mark.
Cincinnati countered Providence's run by making 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch.
The Bearcats' reserve players gave a boost to their offensive attack by outscoring Providence's bench 19-0. Sophomore Justin Jackson paced the UC reserves with eight points and four rebounds, followed by freshman guard Jeremiah Davis III, who added five.
UC went into halftime with a 41-25 lead in large to solid defense as the Friars shot just 37 percent (10-27) in the first half.
Kilpatrick led UC with nine first-half points, while Henton led all scorers with 14 after the game's first 20 minutes.
After Providence cut the Bearcats' lead to two points at the 12:00 mark of the first half, UC ended the first half by outscoring the Friars 26-12, which was the same advantage the Bearcats held in points in the pain in the first half.
Cincinnati next plays Saturday when it welcomes Seton Hall to town for a 4 p.m. tilt at Fifth Third Arena. The game will be televised live on the BIG EAST Network and locally on FOX Sports Ohio.