UC-Rutgers: Darnell Wilks Helps Bearcats Ram Knights For First Road Win

Senior guard Deonta Vaughn led Cincinnati (10-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) to its first true road victory of the season over Rutgers, 65-58 in Piscataway, New Jersey on Saturday.  Vaughn has now dropped 17 points in both Big East games, which is more than he had scored in any non-conference game.

If you weren't able to watch the game, here is a brief play-by-play:

UC jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, capped off by a Dion Dixon right-handed dunk off two feet, courtesy of a no-look feed from Lance Stephenson, forcing Rutgers to use a quick timeout.

Rutgers went to a 2-3 zone to slow the UC attack and it worked for awhile, until Dixon snuck a bounce pass to Darnell Wilks on the baseline, who proceeded to take a big drop-step and rise up off two feet and pump through a big two-hander. 

However, that was the only basket for Cincinnati during a Rutgers 10-2 answer run to tie the game at 12.

The rest of the first half was back and forth, and UC held a five point lead late until the Scarlet Knights cashed four straight three-pointers (three by leading scorer Mike Rosario) to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

The second half was all about offensive rebounding and suffocating defense from the Bearcats.  Dixon and New Jersey native Rashad Bishop bottled up Rosario, holding the sophomore guard scoreless for the final twenty minutes. 

UC won the rebounding battle by twelve and the bench points by 19 as the Bearcats eventually pulled away late for the 65-58 W.

A welcome sight for Bearcat fans was the assertive effort from 6-9 260-pound sophomore Yancy Gates.  Struggling of late, Gates hit the glass and took the ball strong to the tin, finishing with 10 points and eight boards, while not committing a turnover in 25 minutes of work.

The third Bearcat dunk came late in the second half.  Stephenson found Bishop in the lane, who sent a touch pass to Wilks on the baseline.  Wilks took a power dribble and then rose up off two feet and rammed home a ferocious two-hander, slapping the glass with his right hand on the follow-through.  (It was an instant DVR-rewind from my boy Andy "Danny" Swaney.)

Cincinnati looked like an upper echelon Big East squad in this game, failing to be fazed facing deficits and Rutgers' streak-shooting runs.  Up next will be a showdown at home against Pittsburgh (12-2, 2-0 BIG EAST) on ESPN's first Big Monday of the season. 

The Panthers handed No. 5 Syracuse its first loss of the season on Saturday, beating the Orange 82-72 in the Carrier Dome. 

Enjoy the journey.  Go 'Cats.

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