CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Even Oscar Robertson wanted to see more of the Sean Kilpatrick show. Josh McCown Black Jersey . The Hall of Famer sat courtside and watched the senior guard score 26 points and get a team-high 12 rebounds on Thursday night, rallying No. 7 Cincinnati to a 63-58 victory over No. 22 Connecticut. The Bearcats (22-2, 11-0 American Athletic) got their 15th straight win with Kilpatrick finishing it off at the free throw line in the closing seconds. During a late timeout, Robertson raised his hand in a shooting motion toward Kilpatrick, who knew what he meant. Kilpatricks response? A "take-it-easy" motion. "He kept giving me the signal to shoot," Kilpatrick said. "I told him to relax." The Bearcats trailed for most of the game, their first with a No. 7 ranking that is their highest in 10 years. A crowd of 12,432 -- their biggest of the season -- watched them win. Cincinnati has won 18 straight at home, including all 16 this season. The Bearcats are off to their best start in 12 years. "Thats what weve been hoping for," forward Titus Rubles said. "Its good to see the city excited for Cincinnati basketball again. We definitely enjoyed the crowd today. It was a big factor in helping us with our energy." Justin Jackson had six of his 15 points and blocked a shot during a 13-4 run that rallied Cincinnati midway through the second half. Jermaine Sanders two free throws with 18.5 seconds left gave Cincinnati a 61-58 lead. UConns Niels Giffey missed a three-point attempt, and Kilpatrick got the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws. "The mark of great players is that they rise to the occasion," Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. "He has the ability to rise to the occasion." Shabazz Napier scored 16 points for the Huskies (17-5, 5-4) who were playing their highest-ranked opponent this season. They are 2-2 against Top 25 teams, with wins over Florida and Memphis and losses to Louisville and Cincinnati. Two hours before tip-off, Cincinnati introduced Mike Bohn as its next athletic director. His top priority: Get the Bearcats into a better conference. Cincinnati and Connecticut tried to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but were rebuffed. Instead, Louisville will move from the American Athletic into the ACC next season. The game matched two of the AACs top guards. Kilpatrick leads the league at 19.4 points per game, while Napier averages 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. Shabazz got the better of it early. Kilpatrick, who played all 40 minutes, rallied the Bearcats at the end. "Justin Jackson and Kilpatrick took over the game," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "It was a heck of a performance by (Kilpatrick). We couldnt get him out of the game. They just took it to us in the second half." Napier went only 2 of 12 beyond the arc and missed a three-point attempt that could have put the Huskies ahead with 30 seconds to go. Connecticut led for all but 40 seconds in the first half with its guards darting through Cincinnatis defence for layups and assists. Ryan Boatright scored six consecutive points as UConn pulled ahead 21-15. He fell hard on his left shoulder while going for the ball and left the game grimacing. He returned a few minutes later and scored only three points the rest of the game. Napier made a driving bank shot high off the backboard, then drove under the basket and passed outside to Giffey for a wide-open three-pointer that built UConns lead to 26-18. Another three by Giffey gave the Huskies a 10-point lead. The Huskies made four of their first six shots in the second half to hold the lead. Omar Calhouns baseline jumper put the Huskies ahead 42-34. Jackson then led the Bearcats on the 13-4 run. He emphatically blocked a shot to set up a fast break that culminated in Kilpatricks dunk. Jackson picked up a loose ball on the Bearcats next possession and dunked, then followed with a driving bank shot for a 47-46 lead with 7:34 left. Kilpatrick hit another three that started a six-point spurt and gave Cincinnati its biggest lead, 53-49. The Bearcats stayed ahead the rest of the way. Gerald McCoy Youth Jersey . Miamis two-year reign was over. And Bosh almost sounded relieved. The Heat got rolled in the NBA Finals by San Antonio, losing in five games, the last three of them lopsided, and for the first time since 2011 there would be no championship parade in Miami.Josh McCown Camo Jersey .C. -- J.B. Holmes was a 3-foot putt away from winning the Wells Fargo Championship when he backed away to size up the situation.MINNEAPOLIS - In a season full of turmoil for the New York Knicks, Raymond Felton has dealt with more of it than any other player on the team. He struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness early in the season and was arrested on felony gun charges late last month. With all the trouble swirling around him, the point guard was just 7 for 32 in the five games since his arrest. Felton broke out of his slump with 18 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points to help the Knicks snap a seven-game losing streak with a 118-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. "If youre not there mentally, it can really mess you up," said Felton, who made 5 of 8 shots and also had eight assists and four steals. "But Im not one to make excuses. I got a lot going on, but theres a lot of people in this world that are dealing with a lot. I cant make that excuse." Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Amare Stoudemire added 18 points and eight boards for the Knicks, who had not won since beating New Orleans on Feb. 19. Knicks coach Mike Woodson had a long chat with Felton on Tuesday, trying to gauge how focused his point guard was on the court with so much to deal with off it. "I wasnt going to take him out of the lineup, but I wanted to make sure that his head was in the right place for playing," Woodson said. "We just have to continue to help him and get him through this process." Kevin Love had 19 points and eight rebounds, but scored just one point in the second half as the Timberwolves returned from a successful West Coast road trip with a thud. Kevin Martin had 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting and the Wolves were 7 for 26 from 3-point range. "We cant give in and say that this is a killer," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "I know everybodys going to say that you cant lose to the Knicks, its a killer. ... We just have to go out and beat Detroit (on Friday). We lost this game. Its not going to be perfect. I dont worry about this being really damaging. I worry about the wayy we played. Gerald McCoy Jersey. " Timberwolves coaches had quietly worried about opening a homestand against a team that had been playing so poorly, fearing that the breakout was coming. They were right. The Knicks hit eight of their first 10 field goals Wednesday night and went 5 for 7 from 3-point range to open a 38-24 lead after one quarter. The lead swelled to 17 points in the second quarter as New York chewed up Minnesotas soft interior defence with pick-and-roll lobs to Chandler, a staple of their 54 victories last year. After such a flat first half, Ricky Rubio and the Wolves came alive in the third quarter, methodically carving into the Knicks lead. Nikola Pekovic asserted himself in the paint against Stoudemire and an emboldened Rubio scored nine points in the quarter to cut the deficit to 88-86 going into the fourth. But Pekovic had to sit out most of the fourth quarter because of a minutes restriction placed on him to reduce the wear and tear on a sore ankle that kept him out for most of February. "Its really frustrating because youre trying to win games, youre trying to stay relevant and everything," Adelman said. "He had it going that third quarter. We had it going with him on the floor and I had to take him out. Its just something we have to live with, but its really hard." Anthony and Stoudemire led a 15-2 charge to start the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Felton hit Tim Hardaway Jr. for a soaring alley-oop moments later for a 107-92 lead. "Even though Im dealing with a lot of stuff off the court, I got a lot to play for right now," Felton said. "I just tried to clear my head tonight, come out and play, and have fun. This is a place where I can come and just be free." NOTES: Pekovic finished with 17 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes and Rubio had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Wolves. ... New Yorks 66 points were its second-highest first half output of the season. ... J.R. Smith added 14 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Knicks. wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' '
