CINCINNATI (AP) — Kyle Washington scored a career-high 27 points, and Gary Clark had his fifth double-double of the season on Saturday as No. 14 Cincinnati used its front-line advantage and pulled away to an 82-68 victory over Connecticut, its 14th straight win.
The Bearcats (21-2, 10-0 American Athletic) never trailed while winning their 22nd in a row on their home court. They extended their longest overall winning streak in three years.
Washington had 13 of Cincinnati’s first 17 points as the Bearcats got the early advantage. Washington made a 3-pointer, and Clark had unguarded back-to-back 3s as Cincinnati pulled away at the start of the second half, leading by as many as 26 points.
Clark had 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Rodney Purvis scored 20 points for UConn (10-12, 5-5), which had won its last three games.
BIG PICTURE
Connecticut: The Huskies’ three-game winning streak was their longest of the season. They had pulled it off despite being limited to six scholarship players because of injuries.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats’ 22-game winning streak at home is their third-longest since their arena opened in 1989. They won 41 home games in a row from 1997-2000 and 25 straight from 1992-94.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
A 57-55 come-from-behind win at Tulsa and the comfortable win over UConn should allow the Bearcats to at least hold their ground. Their No. 14 ranking is their highest of the season.
UP NEXT
The Huskies have a home rematch against South Florida on Wednesday. They beat the Bulls 81-69 on Jan. 25 for the second of their three straight wins.
The Bearcats host Central Florida on Wednesday. They have won all seven games in their series.
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