#19 Cincinnati 69, Temple 58: Bearcats, Kilpatrick Survive Owls’ Upset Bid

Jan 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Sean Kilpatrick (23) brings the ball down court in the first half against the Temple Owls at FifthThird Arena. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Lining up Cincinnati and Temple side by side and you’d be hard pressed to find two more opposite teams. The Bearcats are  undefeated in the AAC whereas Temple hasn’t won a game. While Cincinnati was getting great contributions from their true freshman, the Owls are reeling this season due to a loss of valuable seniors and a roster with little to no depth. Heck they only dressed seven scholarship players this evening. But tonight they gave UC all they could handle.

Temple and Cincinnati exchanged punches for most of the game with the Bearcats unable to hold onto several sizable leads. The Owls just wouldn’t go away and even grabbed a lead late in the 4th quarter. But then Sean Kilpatrick heroically found his shot from beyond the arc. Despite being mired in a slump in which he had made just 4 of his last 33 shots from three point land, Killa broke out against Temple and especially after they gained that lead. The senior guard went on to drain three treys to put away the Owls for good. Kilpatrick finally getting his shot back couldn’t have come at a better time, especially considering the Bearcats weren’t getting much from their freshmen guards like they had in recent games.

Now Cincinnati is 16-2 and 5-0 in the AAC after surviving Temple tonight. It was a close win but you have to remember that despite undergoing massive turnover in the lineup, the Owls are just one year removed from winning 24 games. Hopefully UC learned more about itself after this one as they take on the South Florida Bulls in the Sun Dome on Saturday at 5 pm EST.