TicketsNov. 16, 2013
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Final Stats | USA Today Photo Gallery Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third Arena |  77 CINCINNATI | ||||||||||||
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CINCINNATI -The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team posted its best defensive outing of the season in a 77-49 win over Appalachian State on Saturday afternoon in the penultimate game of the Global Sports Shootout at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats (3-0) held the Mountaineers (0-3) to 29.2 percent shooting (19-of-65), the lowest opponent percentage of the season and allowed a season-low 49 points. It marks the first time that Cincinnati has held an opponent to under 50 points in a game since a 61-44 win over Providence in the 2013 BIG EAST Championship.
The Bearcats also recorded eight blocks and had seven steals in the game. Senior Justin Jackson (Cocoa Beach, Fla./Arlington Country Day) led all players with four blocks.
Offensively, five Bearcats scored in double digits, the first time that has happened in a game for Cincinnati since Feb. 11, 2012. Senior Titus Rubles (Dallas, Texas/Blinn College) and freshman Troy Caupain (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) each tallied a game-high 13 points, senior Sean Kilpatrick (Yonkers, N.Y./Notre Dame Prep) had 12 points, and both redshirt sophomore Shaquille Thomas (Paterson, N.J./NIA Prep) and junior Jermaine Sanders (Far Rockaway, N.J./Rice) finished with 10 points for Cincinnati.
Kilpatrick's 12 points moved him into 13th place in the Cincinnati record book, passing Robert Miller (1975-78) who finished with 1,498 career points. It also gives the senior a total of 1,499 career points, one shy of the elusive 1,500 point mark. His next point will put him in elite company as one of only 13 players in UC history to have at least 1,500 points in their career.
The Bearcats held the Mountaineers scoreless through the first four minutes and 15 seconds of the game, running out to a 9-0 lead, before a UC goaltending call gave App State its first two points of the game. Appalachian State clawed its way back into the game and got within two points at 13-11 before another strong defensive stand and a 14-0 scoring run by Cincinnati put the Bearcats well ahead at 27-11. Cincinnati finished the half with a 40-21 lead.
The Bearcats held the Mountaineers to 23.1 percent shooting (9-of-39) in the first half. It marked the second straight half that UC has kept an opponent under 27 percent (North Carolina State shot 26.7 percent from the field in the second half on Nov. 12).
The storyline was much the same in the second half where the Bearcats continued to put the pressure on the Mountaineers shooters. App State shot 10-of-26 from the floor in the second half for a 38.5 percent clip.
Cincinnati closed out the game making six of its last 10 shots, including six points by Caupain.
The Bearcats will be back in Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20 for a mid-week matchup against Campbell University at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN3 and air on 700 WLW. Tickets are available by visiting GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or calling 1-877-CATS-TIX.