Clark leads Cincinnati to rout of Temple
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY. » Gary Clark had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarron Cumberland scored 11 of his 13 in the first half to help No. 9 Cincinnati extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak with a 75-42 victory over Temple on Wednesday night.
Kyle Washington had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Bearcats (17-2, 7-0 American Athletic Conference), who won their 11th consecutive game and 37th straight at home while completing a regular-season sweep of the Owls.
Cincinnati is playing home games at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University while its own building is renovated.
It was the worst loss of the season for Temple (1010, 2-6), which shot a season-low 28.6 percent and committed 20 turnovers.
The Bearcats won the first meeting 55-53 on Jacob Evans III’s jumper with a second left on Jan. 4 in Philadelphia.
This one close.
The Owls scored the first five points of the game, then went scoreless for nearly five minutes. It was one of two Temple scoring droughts that approached five minutes in the first half.
The Bearcats had runs of 7-0 and 10-0 and led 35-19 at halftime.
Temple shot 3-point range wasn’t 2 of 12 in the even from first half and committed turnovers.
Cincinnati kept rolling in the second half. Clark had a 3-pointer and a dunk to put the Bearcats ahead 60-30.
Quinton Rose and Ernest Aflakpui each scored seven points for Temple.
BIG PICTURE
nine TEMPLE » The Owls trailed by as many as 34 points. The largest deficit the Owls previously had faced this season was 23 points, in an 8466 loss on Dec. 22 at Georgia. CINCINNATI » The Bearcats are 11-0 this season at BB&T Arena after going 18-0 last season at Fifth Third Arena, which is undergoing an $87 million upgrade. Temple was the last team to win at Cincinnati, a 77-70 victory on Dec. 29, 2015.
UP NEXT
TEMPLE » The Owls UConn on Sunday. CINCINNATI » The Bearcats play at Memphis on Saturday. They defeated the Tigers 8248 on Dec. 31 at BB&T Arena.
In other Big 5 action: SAINT BONAVENTURE 70, SAINTS JOSEPH’S 67 » Jaylen Adams scored 16 points and made the go-ahead layup with 19 seconds left and St. Bonaventure beat Saint Joseph’s.
Courtney Stockard added 15 points with 13 rebounds, Matt Mobley scored 11 points with five assists and LaDarien Griffin had 10 points with 11 rebounds for the Bonnies (13-6, 3-4 Atlantic 10 Conference).
Griffin’s dunk capped an 11-2 run and the Bonnies led
host 40-35. The Hawks closed to 52-48 on Shavar Newkirk’s putback, then led 56-54 on Nick Robinson’s free throw amid an 8-0 run.
The lead traded hands until Griffin’s dunk tied it at 67 with 1:24 left and Adams scored a go-ahead layup. Stockard hit two free throws and Nick Robinson’s 3 at the buzzer just missed.
James Demery and Robinson scored 13 points apiece and Taylor Funk added 10 for the Hawks (910, 4-4), who are 1-6 on the road. LA SALLE 87, MASSACHUSETTS 72 » B.J. Johnson and Amar Stukes combined to score 48 points and Saul Phiri grabbed 12 rebounds to carry LaSalle past Massachusetts in an Atlantic 10 showdown.
LaSalle ran off to a 20-point lead by intermission, 47-27, and cruised home.
The Explorers (9-12, 3-5) shot a brisk 55 percent from the field in the game, knocking down 33 of 60 shots, including 7 of 20 from long range.
Johnson was 9 of 17 from the floor and totaled 26 points while Stukes hit 8 of 9 from the field to add 22 points. Tony Washington and Isiah Deas each added 12 points while Phiri scored 10 points.
Luwane Popkins hit 6 of 10 from long range and finished with 25 points to lead UMass (10-11, 3-5). Malik Hines and Carl Pierre each added 11 points for the Minutemen.