CINCINNATI (AP)—Freshman Devan Downey scored 21 points Tuesday night, leading spurts in each half that helped Cincinnati pull away to a 76-59 victory over Illinois State.
Playing before a small crowd for the second game, the Bearcats (2-0) got their first big game out of a player who figures to become their starting point guard before long. Downey went 7-of-12 from the field and had four of Cincinnati’s 12 steals.
For the second straight game, there were more than 4,000 empty seats in an arena that was full more often than not during coach Bob Huggins’ 16 seasons. The low attendance is a backlash over his ouster in August.
Illinois State (1-1), picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference, was coming off a four-point win over Indianapolis. The Redbirds’ biggest shortcoming on Tuesday was their ball handling—26 turnovers that set up 32 of Cincinnati’s points.
James White added 18 points for Cincinnati. Greg Dilligard led Illinois State with 16 points.
Downey, who was chosen as South Carolina’s top prep player last season, got into the game midway through the first half and got the Bearcats’ offense out of its rut.
Downey scored 10 points in a 19-5 spurt that put Cincinnati ahead by 16 points, showing his quickness and versatility. He drove past a defender for a layup, scored on a fastbreak and hit a pair of 3-pointers that helped the Bearcats pull ahead 38-22.
Cincinnati’s offense has been revamped by interim coach Andy Kennedy, who prefers a running style. Cincinnati was out of sync in its overtime victory over Murray State on Saturday, relying too much on 3-point shooting.
Downey gave the offense a drive-to-the-hoop threat that was missing in the opener. He also provided some of their best moments on defense with his quickness.
The Bearcats’ tight man-to-man defense bothered the Redbirds, who had 13 turnovers in the first half. They took better care of the ball at the start of the second half, and briefly made it a game.
Cincinnati went 3-for-14 from the field with seven turnovers in the first 9 minutes of the second half, allowing Illinois State to get within 49-43 on a pair of baskets by Dilligard.
Illinois State had three consecutive shot-clock violations, stopping its momentum. And Downey got back into the game and made a driving layup that helped Cincinnati rebuild the lead to 13 points.
Downey then stole the ball from Khalif Ford, drove for a layup and was fouled by Ford, giving him a three-point play that pushed it to 59-43, ending the Redbirds’ chances.
