M College BB
Scores/Schedules
Rankings
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Weekly lineup
Teams
Recruiting
  Thursday, Mar. 2 9:00pm ET
Martin refuses to let Bearcats lose
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Get the ball to Kenyon. That's what Cincinnati did Thursday night as the No. 2 Bearcats pulled off a miracle comeback to stun DePaul 64-62.

Kenyon Martin
Dick Vitale's player of the year Kenyon Martin could not be denied in the closing moments.

"You never think you are out of it," Martin said. "If you quit, why show up?"

The Bearcats trailed by 17 early in the second half. Still down 10 with less than four minutes left, they went to Martin. Again and again. It's what coach Bob Huggins told them to do.

Martin, as he has all season, responded. He scored eight of his 33 points in the final 3:31 and also blocked a DePaul layup. The Bearcats finally pulled out the win on DerMarr Johnson's jumper with two seconds left.

"Kenyon just took over the game," Johnson said. "We stepped up and made the big plays."

After Martin's fourth basket of the final stretch tied the game at 62 with 22 seconds left, DePaul called time and then tried to hold the ball for a final shot. But Jermaine Tate stole a pass, got the ball to Martin and he fed Johnson for his game-winning 17-footer.

"It wasn't just me," Martin insisted. "They got me the ball in position to make plays and the coach told them to throw it to me 10 straight times. I was a little tired. And then DerMarr hit the game-winning shot."

Cincinnati (27-2, 15-0 Conference USA) won its 19th straight league game and did so without second leading scorer Pete Mickeal, who was benched for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Huggins said it was a "coach's decision" but refused to elaborate.

Cincinnati trailed 60-50 before Martin, who matched his career high, went to work with a series of turnaround shots DePaul couldn't stop.

"He hit tough shots," DePaul's Lance Williams said. "I put a hand in his face and played the best defense I could."

But it wasn't enough.

After Johnson's go-ahead basket, Quentin Richardson heaved in a 3-pointer but it came after the buzzer and DePaul had a deflating defeat.

Richardson led DePaul with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Blue Demons (18-10, 8-7) might need a victory Saturday against Southern Mississippi to make the NCAA Tournament.

"Down the stretch we just couldn't make the plays and we just couldn't stop Kenyon," Richardson said.

"We led them the whole game and now we have to put it out of our minds because we have a big game Saturday. We know the situation we're in."

Mickeal had started all 61 games in his career and 28 straight this season before landing on the bench Thursday night. Not only was he averaging 13 points and six rebounds but in the earlier meeting with DePaul, he held Richardson to seven points.

The Blue Demon loss came before a crowd of 18,253, the largest ever for a DePaul game at the Allstate Arena -- formerly the Rosemont Horizon -- since the school began playing at the suburban facility 20 years ago.

Richardson had 11 by half Thursday night, including three 3-pointers, and the Blue Demons had a 36-29 lead.

The Blue Demons pushed the lead to 17 points in the first five minutes of the second half and were cruising.

But then Bearcats turned up the defense and ran off nine points to make it 51-44 with just under 10 minutes left.

Martin's turnaround after a DePaul turnover cut the lead to 60-54 with three minutes left and then after a DePaul shot clock violation, Martin turned and scored again. Seconds later he blocked Paul McPherson's layup attempt.

Williams dunked to give DePaul its last lead at 62-60 with 56 seconds to go.

But again Martin worked in the middle and hit a short banker to tie the game at 62 with 20 seconds to play.
 


ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard

Cincinnati Clubhouse

DePaul Clubhouse


Conference USA


AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 DerMarr Johnson hits the game-winning jumper.
avi: 952 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Kenyon Martin just won't quit.
avi: 747 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Lance Williams and the Demons hustle to keep the lead.
avi: 895 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

 Kenyon Martin is head and shoulders above the rest.
RealVideo:  | 28.8