Cats finish exhibition play with win

From now on, it’s all for real.

The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team ended exhibition play with a 76-69 victory over the Bellarmine University KnightsThursday, Nov. 12, at home

“It was a great game for us,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin. “We got to learn a lot of lessons.”

Photos: UC vs. Bellarmine - 11.12.09

One lesson the Bearcats learned was how to win a game without much contribution from their regular leading scorers.

Senior guard Deonta Vaughn was held scoreless in 29 minutes of action, missing all four of his attempts from the field. Vaughn did get his teammates involved, however, dishing out a team-high three assists. Sophomore forward Yancy Gates contributed just six points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. Gates tied teammate Steve Toyloy with a game-high seven rebounds, as the Cats out rebounded the Knights 44-31.

Darnell Wilks came off the bench to lead Cincinnati with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the three-point line. Cronin was impressed with the junior forward, but would like to see more from Wilks.

“Darnell Wilks is playing really well. I’d like to see him rebound it more,” Cronin said. “He only had four rebounds in 26 minutes, but he’s progressed nicely. He continues to get better.”

Wilks and freshman forward Lance Stephenson, who added 15 points for Cincinnati, were able to power the Bearcats past Bellarmine and its efficient offense.

The Knights shot 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from three-point land. Jeremy Kendle came off the bench to lead the way for Bellarmine with 16 points and four assists.

The Knights’ shooting touch allowed them to hang around in the game the whole way. Bellarmine cut the UC lead to four with just under 11 minutes remaining and trailed by just five with 7:20 left to play.

A late 13-7 UC run gave the Bearcats a 16-point lead, their largest of the night, with just over three minutes remaining.

“To be honest I didn’t know if we’d ever see a 16-point lead, knowing what I knew about tonight’s game,” Cronin said.

What Cronin knew was that Bellarmine is heading into the 2009-10 season as one of the country’s best Division II teams. Both “The Sporting News” and “Basketball Times” rank the Knights as the top Division II team in the nation in their preseason rankings. Bellarmine was second in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II preseason poll.

With exhibition play over and done with, the Bearcats tip off their regular season Monday, Nov. 16, against Prairie View A&M at 7:30 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.