Hoyas register fourth in row by breezing past Cincinnati
Georgetown posted its 14th victory, 76-57, over the slumping Bearcats.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Jeff Green had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and No. 21 Georgetown pulled away early to beat Cincinnati 76-57 Saturday for its fourth straight win.
Back home for the first time since their upset over then-No. 1 Duke, the Hoyas held the Bears to 35 percent shooting and led by at least 16 points the entire second half. Brandon Bowman scored 12 points, and Jonathan Wallace added 10 in another balanced Georgetown effort.
The Hoyas (14-4, 5-2 Big East) vaulted into the national rankings after beating the Blue Devils last Saturday, then survived a double-overtime thriller at Notre Dame on Tuesday. The win over Cincinnati was much more comfortable: The Hoyas trailed only twice, at 2-0 and 4-3, and led by double digits for the final 30 minutes.
Bearcats slumping
James White scored 22 points to lead Cincinnati (14-7, 3-4), which has lost five of six. The Bears nearly set season lows in points and field goal percentage for the second straight game, performing only slightly better than the 50-point, 30 percent effort in Wednesday's 17-point loss to Louisville.
White tried to keep the Bears competitive -- he scored 10 of Cincinnati's first 13 points to start the second half -- but Georgetown answered each time. A 3-pointer from Jessie Sapp with 10:10 to play put the Hoyas ahead 62-35, their biggest lead of the game.
Unable to get consistent penetration, Cincinnati had to rely on its spotty outside shooting. The Bears went 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half and shot only 24 percent from the field for the half.
Xavier 60, Dayton 55
CINCINNATI -- Brian Thornton scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots, leading Xavier.
Justin Cage scored 12 points for Xavier (13-4, 4-2 Atlantic 10) including two key free throws as the Musketeers broke a two-game losing streak. Xavier's Stanley Burrell scored 11 points.
Brian Roberts led Dayton (10-11, 2-5) with 20 points but missed two shots in the last 30 seconds, after Jimmy Binnie put the Flyers within a single point at 56-55 with 32 seconds remaining.
Butler 70, Wright St. 62
INDIANAPOLIS -- Brandon Polk scored a game-high 19 points for Butler.
The Bulldogs (11-8, 4-3 Horizon) never trailed in the game, but had to fend off a late second-half surge from Wright State. Avery Sheets' jumper gave Butler a 62-46 lead with 2:46 to play, but Butler converted just 2-of-5 free throws over the next 1:30 and committed three fouls that allowed the Raiders to score with the clock stopped.
Dre Burleson hit a 3-pointer with one minute left to pull Wright State within 64-58, capping off a 12-2 run. Butler's A.J. Graves then made four free throws in the final minute and Brandon Crone and Sheets had one each to preserve the victory.
Burleson and Jordan Pleiman each scored 18 for the Raiders (8-10, 4-4 Horizon). DaShaun Wood scored 12 and dished out six assists.