Cincinnati-Toledo: The Rashad Bishop Show Leads Bearcats to 92-68 Win

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Rashad Bishop's 20-point, eight-board, five-assist night led the way for sweet-stroking Cincinnati in a 92-68 rout of the Toledo Rockets at Fifth Third Arena.

The game was much easier to watch than the opener on Monday night, a butt-ugly 69-62 win over Prairie View A&M. 

Freshman sensation Lance Stephenson showed glimpses of smoothness, finishing with 16 points (three dunks, two bombs) and a beautiful dish through Toledo's 2-3 zone to Bishop on the block that caused Kris Volpenhein to swiftly and immediately rewind his DVR to get another look. 

Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0) shot the ball extremely well tonight, finishing 52 percent from the field, thanks to a balanced attack and unselfish play. Two-time all-Big East guard Deonta Vaughn dished out nine assists, while the team finished with 27 assists on its 37 made field goals. 

Toledo (0-2, 0-0) had a couple of creamers of its own. Freshman guards Stephen Albrecht and Jake Barnett combined to knock down 15 of 26 from the field, including eight out of 13 triples.

Sophomore monster Yancy Gates laid down a nice Dr. Dre-type beat tonight. The 6'9" power forward began by nutting two 15-footers, one from the baseline and one from the top of the key. He then scored twice in the post on turnaround jumpers, one over each shoulder.

Larry Davis then found Yancy cutting down the lane in the second half for a giant two-hander plus the foul, as the big man finished with 14 points (6-of-8 FG), three swats, and four assists. 

All in all, you've got to think head coach Mick Cronin is happy with the first two games, in terms of teaching opportunities for his young team. UC struggled against PV A&M in the opener, mainly because of horrendous offense. Too much passing around the perimeter and chucking like George Costanza.

Tonight, the 'Cats got the ball inside, attacked the offensive glass, and shared the ball well. 

Cronin can't, however, be happy with his team's defense. Toledo shot 48 percent from the field tonight, including a ridiculous 11-of-21 from long range. 

That will need to be tightened up in a hurry, as Cronin's crew is now heading into the Maui Invitational next week. UC will take on dangerous Vanderbilt on Monday (2 PST, ESPN2) to begin the Hawaiian excursion. Go 'Cats. 

Box score

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