Temple runs out of gas in loss at Cincinnati
Updated: January 18, 2017 — 9:22 PM EST

CINCINNATI - After entering halftime with a two-point lead and their best first-half shooting percentage of the season, Temple lost momentum in the second half and fell, 81-74, to Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

No. 20 Cincinnati (16-2, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) won its ninth straight overall and kept its home winning streak intact at 19 games. Temple (10-10) fell to 1-6 in the AAC and missed an opportunity to beat another ranked opponent.

Cincinnati controlled the offensive pace of the game early but struggled to convert against Temple's defense, shooting 33 percent before halftime. The Owls attempted just 18 first-half shots to Cincinnati's 33, thanks to nine turnovers. However, they were more efficient, shooting 61 percent for their strongest first-half shooting performance of the season.

Shizz Alston was dominant, contributing 10 of Temple's first 16 points. He finished with a game-high 25 points, tying his career high set four days ago against Tulsa.

Cincinnati led by single digits for most of the first half until the Owls stole the momentum right before halftime. With 25 seconds left, Alston grabbed the ball from Cincinnati's Kyle Washington at half-court and flipped the ball to freshman Quinton Rose for a quick layup and a 28-26 lead.

Entering the game, the Owls had a 9-1 record this season when leading at the half. They extended their lead to six immediately after halftime, but the advantage was short-lived. Cincinnati found its scoring touch, shooting 73.9 percent from the field after halftime and hitting nine straight field goals to pull away midway through the second half.

The Bearcats extended their lead to 13 with six minutes left before Temple mounted a late comeback attempt, pulling within six with two and a half minutes to go. Obi Enechionyia fouled out by hitting Cincinnati forward Gary Clark late on a layup, giving Cincinnati the three-point play. Temple again pulled within five points with 21 seconds left, but foul shots secured the win for Cincinnati.

Four Bearcats finished with double-digit scoring, and guard Troy Caupain led Cincinnati with 18 points. Daniel Dingle and Rose both added 12 points for Temple.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/coll...nnati.html

No. 20 Cincinnati rallies for 81-74 win over Temple

CINCINNATI -- Kyle Washington scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, rallying No. 20 Cincinnati to its ninth straight win, 81-74 over Temple on Wednesday night.

The Bearcats (16-2, 6-0 American Athletic) trailed by six points before Washington made two one-handed shots during a decisive 17-5 run that put them ahead to stay. Cincinnati led by as many as 13 points.

The Bearcats extended their best winning streak in three seasons and completed a series sweep of the Owls (10-10, 1-6), who were sloppy with the ball.

Troy Caupain had 18 points for the Bearcats, including seven free throws in the closing minutes.

Shizz Alston, Jr., led Temple with 25 points for the second game in a row, matching his career high.

Obi Enechionyia made a 3-pointer, a dunk and a 15-foot jumper as Temple opened a six-point lead at the start of the second half, its biggest of the game. Washington then led the decisive run by scoring on two shots near the basket.

BIG PICTURE

Temple: The Owls have been prone to bad first halves, but that wasn't the case this time. They led 28-26 at the break despite having nine turnovers and no offensive rebounds.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have won their last 19 home games, their longest such streak since taking 19 in a row from March 2, 2013 through Feb. 15, 2014. Their last home loss was 77-70 to Temple in their league opener last season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

A ragged win over a struggling Temple team won't much help the Bearcats. They don't play a currently ranked team until next week, when they host crosstown rival Xavier, which is ranked No. 22.

UP NEXT

The Owls have a week off before hosting Memphis next Wednesday. They split their series last season, with each team winning at home.

The Bearcats play at Tulane on Saturday. They beat Tulane 92-56 at home on Jan. 1.

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More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...=400916589

Bearcats come alive in second half to top Temple
Tom Groeschen , tgroeschen@enquirer.com 9:07 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2017


Make that nine in a row.

The No. 20-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats rallied from a six-point deficit in the second half to beat Temple 81-74 on Wednesday night, for UC’s ninth consecutive win.

A crowd of 10,718 watched at Fifth Third Arena, the fourth straight game that UC has topped 10,000 at home.

Senior guard Troy Caupain led UC with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Junior forward Kyle Washington and senior guard Kevin Johnson each had 16 points, with Johnson scoring all of his 16 after halftime. Sophomore wing Jacob Evans had 15 points, and junior forward Gary Clark had seven points, seven rebounds and a team-high eight assists.

UC shot a blazing 73.9 percent from the field after halftime, on 17-for-23 shooting. That was following a first half where UC shot only 33.3 percent (11-for-33).

UC (16-2, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) beat the Owls (10-10, 1-6 AAC) for the second time in two meetings this season. UC beat Temple 56-50 in Philadelphia on Dec. 28.

Overall, Temple has lost six of its last seven games. Sophomore guard Shizz Alston Jr. tied his career high Wednesday with 25 points.

UC grabbed a 6-0 lead before Temple took a shot, with the Owls committing two early turnovers. UC would lead for most of the half, but Temple forged ahead 28-26 by halftime.

UC was getting its chances offensively, but missing most shots. The Bearcats were 11-for-33 from the field in the first half, while Temple was an economical 11-for-18.

The game saw only six fouls in the first half, four of those on UC. UC shot only two free throws and Temple shot four in the first half.

Evans led UC with 11 points in the first half, followed by Washington with six and Caupain with four. UC starters Clark and Johnson both went scoreless in the first half, each going 0-for-3 from the field.

Temple pulled out to a 37-31 lead early in the second half, before UC started to get hot. The Bearcats ran off a 31-16 scoring binge to take a 62-53 lead with 7:15 left. A 3-pointer by Johnson made it 62-53 and brought the crowd roaring to its feet, with Temple taking a timeout to stop the onslaught.

UC at that point was in the midst of an astonishing 10-for-10 shooting streak from the field. When that extravaganza finally ended, the Bearcats were ahead 68-56 with just over 4 minutes left.

LOOK WHO’S HERE: New UC head football coach Luke Fickell was at the game. Fickell sat for several minutes in one of the student sections, with several taking photos of the coach.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c.../96747036/

Hardly. Run out of gas that will is. Ran out of clock.

i've always respected that program. some good history. lots of painful history

Lots of painful recent history.