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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- In the opening minutes, Kenyon Martin swatted
away Trevor Diggs' shot, then turned his head and smiled at him as
a teammate grabbed the ball and started upcourt.
Before it was over, UNLV would see a lot more of that smile.
Martin scored 21 points and led a swarming and gloating defense
that blocked a dozen shots Sunday as third-ranked Cincinnati rolled
to a 106-66 victory.
|  | | Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin blocks the shot of UNLV's Trevor Diggs on Sunday. |
Cincinnati (12-1) reached triple figures for the first time this
season by striking a balance between its front line and the
perimeter. DerMarr Johnson had 22 points and Pete Mickeal added 16.
The Bearcats also struck a little fear into UNLV (8-3), which
turned over the ball 23 times -- matching its season high -- and got
shoved around inside. Cincinnati dominated the boards 51-33 and has
seven steals to go with the dozen blocks.
"Our guys tried to go up strong and just got manhandled, pushed
around," coach Bill Bayno said.
Cincinnati took control in the opening minutes by slicing
through UNLV's man-to-man defense for easy baskets. It was
reminiscent of their game last season, when Martin and Pete Mickeal
each scored 23 points in Cincinnati's 86-73 win at the Las Vegas
Shootout.
The Bearcats had a little better inside-out balance this time.
Mickeal had 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds while guard
DerMarr Johnson added 22 points.
"They played us zone for about 30 minutes last year," coach
Bob Huggins said. "I thought they would play more zone this year.
I think this is the hardest we've played for 40 minutes."
The game was in hand after the first seven minutes.
Martin scored the game's first seven points as Cincinnati opened
with an 11-0 run and never was seriously threatened. The front line
accounted for 18 of Cincinnati's first 22 points.
Rather than pack in a zone and slow the tempo like Xavier did to
beat the Bearcats last month, UNLV allowed Cincinnati to play at
the fast pace it prefers.
"That's our style," said Martin, who blocked six shots and had
two steals and six rebounds in only 20 minutes. "We like to get
out and run. That made it easier. We could get a lot more
possessions."
When UNLV pulled in its defense and started double teaming
inside, Cincinnati got unguarded shots on the perimeter and fired
away. Cincinnati went 8-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc in the
first half, opening a 23-point lead.
"We're really playing as a team," Mickeal said. "When guys
are making the extra pass and penetrating and rebounding too, we
can't be stopped."
The Runnin' Rebels often stopped themselves, turning into the
Fumblin' Rebels as they turned the ball over 17 times in the first
half alone. In the first eight minutes, UNLV took only nine shots
and had 10 turnovers.
A move by Bayno backfired with 56 seconds left in the half.
Bayno kept leading scorer and rebounder Kaspars Kambala in the game
with three fouls, and Kambala picked up his fourth on a charge.
Kambala, who averages 20.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, tried to
push his way through Cincinnati's tight man-to-man defense and
wound up with two charging fouls. He rarely got the ball and
finished with 10 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes.
"I think he was intimidated," Bayno said. "They came right at
him. He didn't fight back the way he's capable of. I'm just
disappointed in the way he started the game. He lacked focus."
Diggs led UNLV with 18 points.
Martin was hampered in the first half by a poked eye and two
fouls. He scored all of his first-half points in the game-opening
run, then hit six in a row as Cincinnati ran away in the second
half.
UNLV's defensive problems weren't a surprise. The Runnin' Rebels
give up an average of 77.4 points in their first 10 games, and have
allowed opponents to reach 80 in each of the last three games.
Cincinnati has won 36 in a row at home, the fourth-longest
streak in the country.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Nevada Las Vegas Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
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