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  Saturday, Nov. 18 6:05pm ET
Satterfield sparks late 21-6 run
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Goodbye Kenyon Martin. Hello Kenny Satterfield.

The sophomore point guard saved 17th-ranked Cincinnati from a season-opening upset Saturday night, scoring 20 of his career-high 27 points in the second half for a 73-61 victory over Boise State in the opener for both teams.

With Martin off to the NBA, Satterfield has inherited the role of leading scorer and clutch performer. He embraced it Saturday.

Wiggling free for close-up jumpers, Satterfield scored 12 points during a closing 21-6 spurt that left Boise State exasperated.

The Broncos stayed with Cincinnati until the final eight minutes, when Satterfield put his imprint on the game just like Martin used to do.

"Jeez. He was tremendous, especially down the stretch," Boise State coach Rod Jensen said. "That little quick move he's got _ he's a superb player. He's the one that broke us down. He took it over. We don't see that type of player."

Until the Bearcats get their act together, they're going to have to see a lot of that from Satterfield. After shooting 1-for-5 from the field in the first half, he made nine of 13 in the second.

"In the first half, I missed a lot of shots that I usually make in practice," Satterfield said. "Coach told me to calm down. He said if they give me my shot, take it."

Satterfield also matched Donald Little with a team-high nine rebounds.

The Bearcats needed everything Satterfield could give them. Cincinnati wound up even on the boards with 36 rebounds, went only 3-for-11 on 3-point attempts and was 10-of-21 from the foul line.

"We won, but we didn't win the way we should have won," Satterfield said. "We did a lot of things wrong. We didn't play good at all."

Cincinnati didn't get rolling until Satterfield hit a pair of 3-pointers and three more baskets during the closing flurry, which gave the Bearcats their first sizable lead of the game.

Abe Jackson led Boise State with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Last season, the Bearcats visited Boise St. and rolled to a 32-point win, taking control midway through the first half. Cincinnati's opener showed it is a much different team _ no Martin, no dominating front line.

Boise State stayed with Cincinnati throughout the first half and trailed 32-28 at the intermission. The Broncos got wide-open shots as Cincinnati's man-to-man defense lost its bearings.

Richard Morgan's layup with 4:57 left in the first half put Boise State ahead 22-20 and prompted Bearcat coach Bob Huggins to erupt at his porous defense. Huggins' face was bright red by the end of his finger-jabbing tirade.

At halftime, Huggins kept his team in the locker room until only a few seconds remained, delivering a blunt message.

"We were trying to do too many things on our own," Huggins said. "If this team is going to be a good team, we have to share the wealth."

Consecutive 3-pointers by Jackson tied it at 36 early in the second half and set the tone. Boise State patiently worked the ball around, waiting for a Bearcat defender to get caught out of position.

Satterfield became Cincinnati's only reliable scorer, hitting three consecutive pull-up shots that kept it close. There were six ties and six lead changes in the half, with neither team leading by more than six points until the closing minutes.

Satterfield's pull-up jumper and Jamaal Davis' tip-in put Cincinnati ahead to stay 61-57 with 5:16 left, and Satterfield followed with a 3-pointer as the Bearcats finally pulled away.
 


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