CINCINNATI (AP)—Freshman point guard Devan Downey scored a career-high 24 points Wednesday night, directing Cincinnati’s fastbreak offense to an 86-58 victory over previously unbeaten Ohio.
Downey led runs at the start of both halves that gave Cincinnati (5-2) a calming victory. The Bearcats had lost two consecutive home games for the first time in their arena’s 17-year history.
Trying for its first 5-0 start since 1969, Ohio quickly realized it had no one to guard Downey, a true freshman who is learning how to crack open a defense with his quickness. He led an opening 19-9 run and set the pace during a 24-5 spurt early in the second half.
Sonny Troutman led Ohio with 17 points. Forward Leon Williams, who anchors Ohio’s inside attack, picked up his fourth foul with 13:56 left in the game and wasn’t a factor while Cincinnati took control.
Dribbling into the middle of Ohio’s defense for open shots, Downey hit three consecutive baskets during the opening 19-9 spurt. The Bearcats broke out of their shooting slump during a 92-83 victory at Vanderbilt on Saturday, and kept their touch by making seven of their first 11 against Ohio.
Even slumping Armein Kirkland hit shots early, swishing his first two 3-point tries. The senior forward has struggled with his shot all season, making only 21 percent from behind the arc.
The Bobcats, picked to win the Mid-American Conference, went 4-0 for the first time in six years with a balanced offense. Against Cincinnati, they rushed their shots early, missing layups and tip-ins while going 4-of-21 from the field.
Whitney Davis changed the momentum by hitting consecutive 3’s, starting a 20-4 run that put Ohio up 31-25. Davis had all of his 10 points during the spurt, including a steal and a breakaway dunk that revved several hundred green-clad Ohio fans in the less-than-capacity crowd of 9,133.
The Bearcats haven’t drawn 10,000 fans for any of their six home games since Bob Huggins was ousted as head coach.
Downey made a three-point play off a fastbreak layup that prevented Ohio from increasing its lead in the first half. There were three more lead changes before Downey helped Cincinnati regain control for good.
He got a long rebound and drove for a layup before Ohio’s defenders could react, and drove and passed off to James White for an easy basket that sparked the 24-5 spurt and put Cincinnati up 64-45.
The Bearcats also asserted themselves on defense, holding Ohio to two baskets and three free throws in the first 9 minutes of the second half. Troutman scored six of those seven points.
