Bearcat Basketball Rolls Over Raiders
By Mel Payne
Mar 9, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jaquon Parker (44) shoots a free throw against the Syracuse Orange during the second half of the semifinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Cincinnati won 71-68. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
What do Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Wyoming, and Cincinnati all have in common? They are the last of the unbeaten Division I schools, and the Bearcats kept their streak alive on Saturday. Cincinnati rolled over the Wright State Raiders with a score of 68-58, advancing to 12-0 on the season.
Wright State gave Cincinnati a scare early on, shutting down stars Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright in the paint. The Bearcats struggled in the first half, once again, having trouble with their half-court offense.
Though UC scored first on a Justin Jackson jump shot, foul shots led the way for Wright State to get on the board and take the early lead. After a lot of back and forth on the scoreboard, with 6:33 left on the clock in the first half, the Raiders took the lead and didn’t look back. The teams headed into the locker room at halftime with Wright State leading Cincinnati 29-22.
Coming out of the half, realizing that their top two scorers would not be allowed to be effective in the matchup against the Raiders, the team knew someone else was going to have to step up or the team would take their first loss of the season.
After Tavares Sledge opened the second half for the Raiders with a layup, increasing his team’s lead, JaQuon Parker stepped up and answered the call for UC. He led his team on a second half scoring frenzy, picking up 16 points in the second half alone. Wright State was outscored 46-30 in the second half and the Bearcats overcame their inefficiencies to remain undefeated.
The Bearcats were led by Parker with 21 points and five rebounds. Sean Kilpatrick was held to 12 points and posted six rebounds and four assists. Titus Rubles rounded out the double digit scorers with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Cincinnati is set to tip off against the 12-1 New Mexico Lobos on Thursday night at 9:00 pm EST.