Martin Has Career Night For Cats

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 14, 1998 / 10:07 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

No. 4 Cincinnati heard boos during a sloppy and lackluster first half, but Kenyon Martin turned up the Bearcats' intensity and helped them wear down Nicholls State for an 82-48 victory Monday night.

Martin scored 11 of his 22 points during a 20-5 spurt that opened the second half and put Cincinnati (7-0) in control. He also had 13 rebounds, six steals and four blocks, rallying an out-of-sync lineup that committed 14 turnovers and made only 7-of-20 from the foul line in the first half.

Nicholls State (1-8) made only 33 percent from the field, had 32 turnovers and got into deep foul trouble right away. With 17:47 left in the game, four Colonels had three or more fouls.

Zach Ray led the Colonels with 14 points off the bench.

Cincinnati heard boos from the student section as it stumbled through the first half and repeatedly got out-hustled by the smaller Colonels.

Coach Bob Huggins substituted liberally from the outset, trying to give his bench some experience against an overmatched opponent. He crossed his arms and sat on the corner of the scorer's table as he watched his newcomers make mistakes.

Jermaine Tate, who transferred from Ohio State a year ago, made his debut and picked up four fouls, including a technical, in eight minutes of the first half. He finished with three points and six rebounds.

Nicholls State stayed close for the first 10 minutes before fouls sapped its lineup and gave Cincinnati its opening to pull away. Three players picked up their third fouls during a 3:16 span.

The Colonels couldn't overcome their season-long shooting problems - they've been held below 35 percent from the field in six of their nine games. After forging an 11-11 tie, they went nine minutes without a field goal, missing all six of their shots while Cincinnati pulled away.

Huggins had the bulk of his starting lineup on the floor during an 11-2 spurt that put the Bearcats in control. Martin had six points in the run and Melvin Levett added five for a 22-13 lead.

The Bearcats gradually built the lead to 16 points by halftime, then put the game away as Huggins stayed with his starters much longer at the start of the second half.