CINCINNATI (AP) Farad Cobb matched his season high with 20 points, Gary Clark added 19 and No. 23 Cincinnati recovered from its loss to crosstown rival Xavier by beating Norfolk State 75-59 on Tuesday night.
The Bearcats (9-2) had dropped two of three, including a home-court loss to Butler and a 65-55 defeat at No. 10 Xavier on Saturday. They were sloppy in the first half before pulling away.
D’Shon Taylor had 14 points for Norfolk State (4-6), which trailed by only four points late in the first half.
Norfolk State’s Jeff Short came into the game averaging 18.7 points in the last six games, but had a tough time finding shots against one of the country’s toughest defenses. He missed all four of his shots in the first half and his first one in the second half before hitting a 3-pointer. He finished with five points on 1-of-10 shooting.
The Bearcats are holding opponents to 59 points per game, the 10th-fewest in the nation.
The Spartans rely on the 3-pointer - they came in shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc - but missed 12 of their first 14 attempts and finished 7 of 24.
Cincinnati opened with a 15-0 run, scoring on each of its first five possessions. The only flaw was Octavius Ellis missing a showy dunk attempt on a fast-break alley-oop play. The Spartans had a shot clock violation on their opening possession and missed their first seven shots.
Cincinnati missed four consecutive free throws and seven of nine shots in one stretch of the first half, allowing Norfolk State to cut the lead to 23-15.
Turnovers were a problem in Cincinnati’s loss at Xavier on Saturday, and the Bearcats lost the ball four times during a four-minute span late it the first half on Tuesday. The crowd booed when Charles Oliver’s fast-break layup cut it to 30-26 with 1:30 left in the half. The Bearcats led 34-26 at the break.
Clark had three baskets during a 9-2 run that opened the second half and built the lead to 16 points. The lead was 61-35 midway through the half.
TIP-INS
Norfolk State: The Spartans have made as many as 14 3-pointers - a school record - and as few as two in games this season.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats are 19-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State: The Spartans will play the fourth of eight straight road games at Evansville on Thursday.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats play at VCU on Saturday.
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