Men's Basketball Outdone by No. 9/8 Cincinnati

Wednesday, January 24

Highland Heights, Ky.

9:00 p.m.

Temple University

10-10 (2-6)

Cincinnati

18-2 (7-0)

Temple

Cincinnati

Photo by: Mark Burch

Men's Basketball Outdone by No. 9/8 Cincinnati

1.24.18 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - No. 9/8 Cincinnati pulled away late in the first half and kept its momentum the rest of the way, handing Temple men's basketball (10-10, 2-6) a 75-42 loss while winning its 37th home game in a row - the nation's longest streak. The Bearcats (18-2, 7-0) got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Cary Clark to remain undefeated in American Athletic Conference play.

Keys to the Game
> The Owls kept it close for the first 13 minutes of the first half, but a 14-2 Cincinnati run was later followed by an 8-0 closing run, putting the Bearcats up by 16 at halftime (35-19).
> Temple never made a dent in the second half, and went over four minutes without a bucket while Cincinnati used a 14-0 run to increase its lead to 30 points.
> The Owls' shooting percentage of 29.6 was a season low, while their 20 turnovers were a season high. They made just three shots from long range in the game, going 1-for-11 in the second half.

Individual Highlights
> Nine players scored for the Owls, but none posted more than seven points. Junior Ernest Aflakpui and sophomore Quinton Rose both scored seven with Aflakpui adding five rebounds.
> Senior Josh Brown dished a team-best four assists, and freshman J.P. Moorman II grabbed a team-best six boards.

First Half
> Neither team led by more than five for the first 13 minutes of the contest, which saw three lead changes and two ties.
> Aflakpui completed a three-point play for the second tie of 13-13 at 10:47, but the Bearcats then used a 14-2 run to take control.
> Clark scored six points in the run for Cincinnati, finishing it with three free throws for a 12-point lead, 27-15 at 3:16.
> After back-to-back buckets by the Owls got them within eight, Cincinnati closed out the half with eight unanswered points to lead 35-19 at the break.
> The Bearcats shot 43 percent to the Owls' 28 percent in the period, and hit 4-of-10 three-pointers while the Owls managed just 2-of-12.

Second Half
> Cincinnati continued to widen its lead through most of the second half, at one point holding Temple scoreless for four and a half minutes.
> During that stretch, the Bearcats got eight points from Clark in a 14-0 run to take a 32-point lead, 62-30 at 8:11.
> With the Cincinnati starters on the bench, the Owls got six points from freshman De'Vondre Perry in a 9-0 spurt, but Temple was able to get no closer than 25 points before Cincinnati closed the game on an 8-0 run.

Next Up
> The Owls return home to host UConn at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28 (ESPN2 / 1210 AM WPHT).