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Cincinnati tops Temple to win ninth straight

Jan 15, 2014 - 6:20 AM Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Sean Kilpatrick poured in a game-high 23 points to lead 19th-ranked Cincinnati to a 69-58 win over Temple at Fifth Third Arena.

Justin Jackson had 15 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks and Titus Rubles added 13 points and 12 boards for the Bearcats (16-2, 5-0 AAC), winners in nine straight.

"Obviously, we struggled at times tonight. Give Coach Dunphy and Temple credit for the way they competed," said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. "They did a good job of confusing us with their zone and when we started the game off with three turnovers I knew it was going to be a long night."

Dalton Pepper scored 21 points, Quenton DeCosey had 17 and Anthony Lee finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Owls (5-10, 0-5), who have dropped five straight.

"They are really good. They are really good. We couldn't run a lot of things that we would have liked to run just because they take you out of it," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said.

Jackson gave the Bearcats a 33-26 lead just over three minutes into the second half. DeCosey, though, scored six straight points, and after a pair of Rubles free throws, Mark Williams buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35-35 with 12:45 to play.

Cincinnati created some distance with a 10-2 run. The Owls, though, countered with a 10-0 run to take a 47-45 lead just minutes later. DeCosey highlighted the run with a baseline slam after shaking a defender with a crossover on the wing.

A 16-3 Bearcats' run made it 61-50 with 2:49 to play, but Pepper knocked down a contested 3-pointer from the right wing and DeCosey added a layup to make it a six-point game with 90 seconds remaining.

Kilpatrick buried a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left to make it a three possession game that all but sealed the win as Cincinnati cruised to victory.

The Bearcats led 27-16 after a Kilpatrick 3-pointer with 3:33 left, but Temple scored the final nine points of the half to go into the break trailing 27-25.

Game Notes

Cincinnati held its opponent under 70 points for the 25th consecutive game ... The Bearcats' bench outscored Temple's reserves by a 12-3 margin ... The Owls were just 9-for-18 from the free throw line.