UC Bearcats down Villanova, 68-50
Feb. 12, 2013 10:10 PM


Cincinnati guard JaQuon Parker drives to the basket while defended by Villanova guard Darrun Hilliard during the first half. / The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

Written by
Bill Koch

Sean Kilpatrick and JaQuon Parker each scored 19 points and the University of Cincinnati defense shut down Villanova in the second half as the Bearcats ended a two-game losing streak with a 68-50 victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday night before 9,534 fans at Fifth Third Arena.

UC (19-6, 7-5 Big East) limited Villanova to 21 points in the second half and made 12 of 25 shots from 3-point range.

Cashmere Wright scored 11 points with four assists and three steals to tie the school record for steals set by Puffy Kennedy, who had 189 from 1977 to 1981.

Villanova (15-10, 6-6) was led by Jayvaughn Pinkston, who scored 12 points. The Wildcats committed 19 turnovers.

UC led by three at halftime and then clamped down defensively on the Wildcats in the second half. Villanova didn’t make its first field goal until the 14:34 mark and committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes. The Bearcats used a 13-4 run to take a 47-35 lead after a Kilpatrick trey with 11:24 left.

They expanded that to 56-39 with 7:26 to go on 3-pointers by Jermaine Sanders and Wright and Kilpatrick as the Bearcats suddenly rediscovered their shooting touch. Meanwhile, the UC defense continued to stymie Villanova, which converted only four field goals in the first 13 minutes of the second half. The UC lead reached 18 points at 59-41 on Parker’s 3-point shot with five minutes to play.

The Bearcats endured their customary poor offensive start in the first half, making three of their first 15 shots. But their defense was noticeably more intense. The Wildcats shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the first half, but the Bearcats made them work hard for their shots.

UC began to come alive late in the first half, making seven of its last 11 shots. The Bearcats led by eight points – their largest lead of the half – after Kilpatrick drained a 3-pointer with 1:02 left. Villanova then scored the final five points of the half. The Wildcats outscored UC, 14-6, in the paint in the first half.

Titus Rubles started at forward in place of Justin Jackson, who had started the previous four games.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...eakingnews

As described by the Philadelphia Inquirer



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