Cincinnati tops NC Central, 59-50, stays unbeaten

CINCINNATI (AP) Octavius Ellis threw down a pair of dunks midway through the first half to spark Cincinnati into the lead en route to a 59-50 win over North Carolina Central Tuesday night.

Ellis got his first jam with the score tied at 11-11 to give the Bearcats the lead. He then fed Farad Cobb for a 3-pointer and emphasized the point with a second dunk to make it 18-13.

Gary Clark finished with 12 points to lead the unbeaten Bearcats (4-0), with Ellis adding another 11 points. Both pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as Cincinnati out-boarded the Eagles, 33-15.

Nimrod Hilliard tossed in 14 points to lead North Carolina Central, with Karamo Jawara and Jordan Parks each contributing 10 points.

The difference in the game came at the free throw line. Cincinnati was 14 of 19 from the line while the Eagles (1-3) were just 4 of 5.