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The University of Cincinnati Men’s basketball team defeated the Providence Friars 81-66 Wednesday night at Fifth Third Arena.

“Any double-figure win in the Big East is a great win,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.

Click here to view a slideshow from the game.

Cincinnati (18-8, 8-5 Big East) used a strong first half to build a 41-25 halftime lead, shooting 53 percent from the floor and dominating the inside game with 44 points in the paint.

Providence (13-14, 2-12 Big East) relied on the strong play of guard Vincent Council, who lead all scorers with 29 points to cut the lead down to seven with 4:26 remaining in the game. The Bearcats were too much for the Friars, however, as they closed the game with a 15-7 run to earn the victory.

Cincinnati sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick led the Cats with 22 points, followed by forward Yancy Gates who netted 16.

The Bearcats dominated the glass, outrebounding the Friars 44-26, and got production off the bench, which chipped in 19 points.

“Jeremiah Davis was the key to the seven-point run [in the first half],” Cronin said. “I have great confidence in those guys. They are the future of our program.”

Cincinnati also grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 20 UC second-chance points.

“I think [rebounding] was the difference in the game,” Cronin said. “Yancy did a great job. We are getting better at rebounding the ball with two hands. He was a two-handed rebounder tonight. Dion and Kilpatrick got in there, too. That was big for us.”

Prior to Wednesday night, the Bearcats had lost four of their past six games, allowing a season-high 95 points in their loss at Marquette Saturday.

Marquette’s 95 points were the most allowed by Cincinnati since Connecticut scored 96 in March 2008.

The Bearcats return to action at 4 p.m. Saturday against Seton Hall at Fifth Third Arena.