CINCINNATI 76, ST. JOHN'S 54: Sean Kilpatrick scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half - including 10 in a span of less than two minutes - as the visiting Bearcats prevailed over the the Red Storm's all-freshmen lineup.

Cashmere Wright had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati (17-7, 7-4 Big East), which has won two straight and is 12-4 since an early-December brawl with crosstown rival Xavier. Cincinnati won seven straight after that infamous fight – a streak that ended with a 57-55 loss to St. John’s at the buzzer on Jan. 7.

The Bearcats got revenge by shutting down the “Fresh Five,” which features two of the best first-year players in the country in forward Moe Harkless and guard D’Angelo Harrison. The third-best defense in the Big East held the duo to a combined 6 for 21 from the field and St. John’s (10-14, 4-8) shot only 32.8 percent (19 of 58) en route to its second straight lopsided loss.

Kilpatrick, who was held to only one field goal in the first 20 minutes, broke the game open with an impressive display of shooting early in the second half. After St. John’s cut its deficit to eight, Kilpatrick hit a layup, back-to-back 3-pointers and a jumper which pushed the lead to 44-27.

The Bearcats led by as many as 27.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cincinnati led 30-19 at halftime, but St. John’s lowest first-half output this season was 18 against Louisville on Jan. 3. ... St. John's was down to a six-man rotation – all freshmen – after junior reserve guard Malik Stith withdrew from the team earlier in the day for “personal reasons." Stith will remain with the team in some capacity. ... The 54-points marked the lowest total Cincinnati has allowed in Big East play.