No. 20 Cincinnati beats Cleveland State 81-62 with late run (Dec 21, 2017)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) Gary Clark scored 18 points, and Kyle Washington had a pair of put-backs ..
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) Gary Clark scored 18 points, and Kyle Washington had a pair of put-backs that sparked a late run as No. 20 Cincinnati pulled away to an 81-62 victory over Cleveland State on Thursday night.
The Bearcats (11-2) struggled to extend their home-court winning streak to 33 games, the longest in the nation. Washington’s consecutive rebounds and baskets pushed it to 66-56 – only Cincinnati’s second double-digit lead of the game – and sparked a closing 21-8 run.
Jarron Cumberland added 16 points for Cincinnati, which is playing this season at BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University while its on-campus arena is renovated. The Bearcats went 18-0 at Fifth Third Arena last season.
Tyree Appleby had 16 points for the Vikings (3-8), who were playing their second road game in three days.
The Vikings stayed close by hitting 3s – their specialty. There were three ties and eight lead changes in the first half, with the Vikings shooting 68 percent from the field, including 7 of 12 from beyond the arc. Cincinnati didn’t lead by double digits until midway through the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Cleveland State: The Vikings fell to 6-44 all-time against ranked teams. Their last such win was 71-58 at No. 7 Vanderbilt on Nov. 13, 2011. Cincinnati was their first ranked opponent this season. They play at No. 2 Michigan State on Dec. 29.
Cincinnati: Coaches weren’t happy with 15 turnovers against overmatched Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They were sloppy early against the Vikings, but had only five turnovers in the second half and finished with 11.
UP NEXT
The Vikings host Toledo on Saturday, completing their busy five days, and don’t play again until they visit Michigan State.
The Bearcats are off until Dec. 31, when they host Memphis in their American Athletic Conference opener.
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