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No. 24 Cincinnati beats Penn State in Tip-Off consolation

Cincinnati v St. Joseph's

SPOKANE, WA - MARCH 18: Head coach Mick Cronin of the Cincinnati Bearcats reacts against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in the first half during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 18, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Kyle Washington had 16 points and 17 rebounds and No. 24 Cincinnati beat Penn State 71-50 on Sunday in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off.

Jacob Evans added 14 points for the Bearcats (3-1). They bounced back from a loss to No. 21 Rhode Island on Saturday by dominating the Nittany Lions.

Shep Garner had 20 points to lead Penn State (2-3), after scoring 15 in the team’s 10-point loss Saturday to top-ranked Duke.

This one wasn’t nearly as competitive.

The Bearcats put the game away early, using an 18-1 run to build a 32-10 advantage.

Washington had 10 of his points and seven rebounds in the first half and Bearcats shot 59 percent from the field, getting inside almost at will. They went into halftime leading 34-19.

Cincinnati shot 50 percent for the game and dominated in the paint, where they had a 34-18 scoring advantage. They also outrebounded Penn State 40-26, including 10-3 on the offensive boards.

BIG PICTURE

Cincinnati: The Bearcats were defeated at their own game of aggressiveness and hustle when they lost to Rhode Island on Saturday. That did not please coach Mick Cronin, who was very critical of his team’s effort in postgame remarks. Senior guard Troy Caupain, the American Athletic Conference’s preseason player of the year, averaged 10 points, five rebounds and 5.3 assists in his first three games. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists on Sunday.

Penn State: Coach Patrick Chambers came to Mohegan Sun looking for progress. He felt the 78-68 loss to No. 1 Duke on Saturday qualified as a step forward. And Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski gave the Nittany Lions high praise. “That was a good win for us against a program that’s emerging,” he said. Sunday’s effort was a step back.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Cincinnati likely will fall from the Top 25 after Saturday’s loss to No. 21 Rhode Island, despite the strong bounce-back effort against the Nittany Lions.

UP NEXT

Cincinnati: After the weekend trip to Connecticut, the Bearcats return home to play Samford Wednesday night. Cincinnati’s next big test comes Dec. 1 at Iowa State.

Penn State: Colgate visits Happy Valley on Wednesday. After Thanksgiving, Penn State travels to George Washington on Saturday.