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Late trey lifts Presbyterian to upset win over No. 20 Cincinnati

Nov 20, 2011 - 2:34 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Khalid Mutakabbir made the game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds to go in regulation, sending Presbyterian to a 56-54 upset win over the No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats.

Following the bucket, the teams exchanged timeouts and Cashmere Wright missed a three-pointer as time expired to seal the win for the Blue Hose (3-2).

"That was the biggest win of ours, especially during the Division I transition, and obviously biggest one of the program," Presbyterian head coach Gregg Nibert said. "There's no question about it to beat a storied program. Cincinnati is a heck of a team. We knew we had to play our absolute best game of the year and we were fortunate for Al' Lonzo (Coleman) to get that rebound. Khalid wanted that shot and he deserved to take it, and he hit it."

Mutakabbir finished with 25 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists and Al'Lonzo Coleman had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Sean Kilpatrick paced the Bearcats (2-1) with 19 points and three rebounds, while Yancy Gates finished with 17 points and eight boards.

Justin Jackson had nine points and nine rebounds, while Dion Dixon contributed seven points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati.

Presbyterian trailed by 15 points, 49-34, with 8:30 to go in regulation, but the Blue Hose never gave up and used an 11-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to get within four points with 5:05 to go.

The Bearcats built the lead back to seven, 54-47 with 1:35 to play, but Presbyterian scored the final nine points of the game to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

Presbyterian jumped out to a 12-3 lead with 10:50 to play in the opening half, but the Bearcats responded with a 9-0 run to tie it at 12 with 8:55 to go.

A layup by Dixon with 3:44 remaining in the half gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game, 19-17. A jumper by Mutakabbir tied it back up at 19, but Cincinnati scored the final seven points of the half to take a 26-19 lead into the locker room.

"It is laziness on different guy's parts," Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin said of his team's second-half defense. "They did a good job on their offense in their last eight minutes of running three actions. On the third one, we were too lazy to guard. That is the fact. On the third reversal, we broke down every time, and it wasn't mutually exclusive."

Game Notes

Saturday's game marked the first-ever meeting between Presbyterian and Cincinnati on the hardwood...Presbyterian shot 50 percent from the floor and 4-of-5 from three-point land in the second half...Mutakabbir matched his career-high point total with 25... Cincinnati is 8-2 all-time against members of the Big South Conference.