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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team took the lead 90 seconds into the game and never looked back, using its best offensive performance of the season to knock off Stony Brook, 78-52, Tuesday inside Fifth Third Arena.
Shaq Thomas (Paterson, N.J./NIA Prep School) led four Bearcats in double figures with a season-high 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. Gary Clark (Clayton, N.C./Clayton) totaled a career-high 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Kevin Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day) finished with a season-high 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks and Troy Caupain (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) had 10 points, six boards and a game-high six assists.
UC had four players in double figures for the first time since a matchup at Rutgers on Jan. 11, 2014.
Walk-on guard Zach Tobler (Fort Mitchell, Ky./Covington Catholic) made his first appearance of the season and scored the first points of his career going 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.
The Seawolves' Jameel Warney tied with Thomas, scoring a game-high 14 points. He also closed out the double-double with a game-best 10 rebounds. Carson Puriefoy scored 11, hitting Stony Brook's only two threes in the game.
Cincinnati (6-1) fired at a 53 percent clip from the field (29-of-55) and was 7-of-11 from behind the three-point line while holding Stony Brook (5-3) to a 2-of-13 effort from long distance.
Trailing 2-0 early, UC pulled ahead with a 23-8 run in the first 9:30 of the game to lead by 13 with just under nine minutes left in the opening half. The Bearcats led by as many as 29 in the second half.
The Bearcats tallied 21 points off 14 Seawolves turnovers. UC was active around the rim, tallying eight blocks in a game for the third time this season along with five dunks, all in the second half. The Bearcats also handed out a season-high 17 assists.
UC led 38-23 at the half. Caupain scored 10 while Clark had seven in the opening 20 minutes. UC shot 51.9 percent for the half.
The Bearcats will be off for 11 days during finals week at UC before traveling to Nebraska to face the Cornhuskers on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network. UC returns home on Wednesday, Dec. 17, starting a three-game homestand against San Diego State, VCU and Wagner. The matchup with the Aztecs will tip off at 9 p.m. ET inside Fifth Third Arena.
To purchase season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets for all UC home men's basketball games, visit BearcatsBasketball.com or call 1-877-CATS-TIX for more information about all ticket options.