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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Rattled early and often, top-ranked
Cincinnati relied on Kenyon Martin to hold it together for a 70-62
victory over UNC Charlotte on Thursday night.
Martin scored 10 of the Bearcats' first 14 points, helping them weather 10 turnovers in the opening nine minutes in a building that has become their least favorite in Conference USA.
|  | | Cincinnati freshman DerMarr Johnson blocks a shot by UNC Charlotte's KenKay Jones. |
Martin finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, making the difference for the Bearcats (21-1, 9-0) on a night when their 18 turnovers nearly translated into a third straight loss at
Halton Arena.
Harassed in deafening tones by a sellout crowd of 9,105, the Bearcats saw a 12-point second-half lead cut to two with 8:46
remaining before composing themselves for their 13th consecutive
victory.
UNC Charlotte (12-9, 4-4) lost for the first time in
eight home games this season.
The Bearcats shot 44 percent in the first game of a tough road trip. After ending the 49ers' perfect home mark, Cincinnati plays Saturday at UAB, which is 10-0 at home this season.
Jobey Thomas scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead UNC Charlotte. The 49ers also got 13 points from
James Zimmerman and 10 from Tremaine Gardiner.
Cincinnati's Kenny Satterfield added nine of his 13 points in the second half.
The Bearcats showed signs of what was ahead by turning the ball over on their first two possessions. Cincinnati's jitters cleared the way for UNC Charlotte to go on an 11-0 run in which
the 49ers scored seven points off turnovers.
The surge put UNC Charlotte up 11-5 nine minutes into
the game, at which point Cincinnati had turned it over 10 times and
missed four of its five field goal attempts.
But the 49ers, playing much of the half without their best
inside threat, the foul-plagued Gardiner, and their most consistent
outside threat, flu-ridden point guard Diego Guevara, wound up
shooting 19 percent in the half.
UNC Charlotte's woes, which included a 1-for-16
performance from beyond the 3-point arc, enabled Cincinnati to
score the final nine points for a 28-17 halftime lead.
After the Bearcats stretched it to 36-24 early in the second half, UNC Charlotte forced four turnovers in a 19-9 run.
Thomas capped the surge with a foul shot that made it 45-43 at the
8:46 mark, but the 49ers did not make another field goal for more
than four minutes.
A short jumper by Martin and a foul shot by Pete Mickeal closed a 15-7 run that pushed the Bearcats' lead to 60-50 with 2:36 left. UNC Charlotte got no closer than seven points the rest
of the way.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Cincinnati Clubhouse
North Carolina Charlotte Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kenny Satterfield goes in for the easy layup.
avi: 563 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kenyon Martin blazes the floor for Cincy.
avi: 470 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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