Youngstown State Ysu/Cincinnati Cincinnati Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

The Bearcats (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP), who lost two key players to injuries, had three players score 16 points each Wednesday in a 74-65 victory over Youngstown State in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.

"Fortunately that's the strength of our team -- we still have four guards," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said.

The Bearcats (6-2) will play Clemson, which beat Florida Atlantic 94-81, in Thursday's semifinals, but they might be without starting guard Steve Logan and leading rebounder Donald Little.

Logan, who averages 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, turned his left ankle on a drive to the basket with 16 minutes to play. He spent the most of the rest of the game with his leg elevated on the bench and a towel draped around his head. Logan, who finished with nine points, was taken to a hospital for precautionary X-rays.

"I'd say it's doubtful he'll play," Huggins said of Logan.

The Cincinnati training staff said the sprain was moderate and no decision on Logan's status could be made until he received treatment overnight.

Little, who averages 8.7 points and 7.1 rebounds, was kicked in the left calf early in the game and played only three minutes, scoring two points. His status is day-to-day.

Jamaal Davis, Field Williams and Antwan Jones each scored 16 points for Cincinnati.

Williams and Jones, who missed the entire preseason with a fractured foot, gave the Bearcats a boost with their play off the bench.

"Field's been getting better and better in practice, and for Antwan it's just a matter of time before he starts playing the way we expect him to play," Huggins said.

He wasn't throwing around many accolades, however.

"We played a bad game," Huggins said. "We didn't rebound. We didn't execute offensively. We didn't do very much right."

Jones made two free throws with 5:23 left to give Cincinnati its biggest lead, 67-49. Youngstown State (5-5) then went on a 10-0 run to get within 67-59 with 3:05 left. The run included a technical foul against Huggins for complaining about a call.

The Bearcats kept the Penguins at bay by going 7-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 2:42, with Davis making the first three.

Craig Haese had 16 points for Youngstown State, which lost its third straight.

"We came back as far as we could come back," Youngstown State coach John Robic said. "We just couldn't compete with them on the boards and that's what I was afraid of and that's why I had to play zone and I hate to play zone."

Cincinnati, with Rodney Crawford grabbing 10 rebounds, finished with a 39-24 advantage on the boards.

"They were just so much better athletically," Robic said.

Davis hit a jumper with 13:21 left that gave Cincinnati a 46-32 lead before the lights -- and more importantly the air conditioning -- in the gym on the campus of American University of Puerto Rico went out. There was a delay of about eight minutes before power was restored.

"We didn't come out ready to play," Davis said. "Our goal is to win this tournament and we're not playing that way right now."

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Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

Youngstown State Clubhouse

Cincinnati Clubhouse

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