No. 11 Cincinnati 60, Xavier 45: Sean Kilpatrick scored 25 points and keyed a 15-4 run to start the second half as the Bearcats rolled past their city rival in the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
Trailing 24-22 at halftime, Cincinnati (11-0) applied full court pressure and Kilpatrick tallied nine points in the decisive spurt as the Bearcats remained one of eight undefeated teams in Division I. There were no on-court incidents between the rival schools, who had an ugly brawl in the game's final seconds last year that drew national attention.
Kilpatrick, who topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time this year, scored 18 in the second half and also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals as Cincinnati forced Xavier (7-3) into eight second half turnovers, four of those coming in the first two minutes.
Cashmere Wright added 15 points, including three 3-pointers and JaQuon Parker chipped in with 11 for the Bearcats, who have won two of the last three against Xavier.
The Musketeers were led by Travis Taylor, who notched his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier's leading scorer, Semaj Christon (15.8), scored only six and left the game early in the second half with cramps and did not return.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati has won 18 straight games at U.S. Bank Arena dating back to 1997. ... The Bearcats are off to their best start since 2004-05. ... Xavier's 45 points were a season-low and the Musketeers were 3-for-14 from the free throw line while connecting on 37.7 percent from the field.
Xavier | Cincinnati | |
Travis Taylor 12 | Scoring | Sean Kilpatrick 25 |
Semaj Christon 4 | Assists | Cashmere Wright 4 |
Travis Taylor 10 | Rebounds | Titus Rubles 9 |
Isaiah Philmore 2 | Free Throws Made | JaQuon Parker 7 |
Dee Davis 3 | Steals | Sean Kilpatrick 4 |
Isaiah Philmore 1 | Blocks | Cheikh Mbodj 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Xavier | 45 | 37.7 | 2-13 | 3-14 | 11 | 31 | 2 | 7 | 15 |
Cincinnati | 60 | 32.8 | 5-24 | 13-19 | 8 | 42 | 8 | 9 | 13 |