Sixteen candles

Garcia's hits eight 3's as Louisville tops Cincy

Cincinnati's Leonard Stokes has his shot blocked by Louisville's Erik Brown. AP

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Cincinnati's reign as the dominant team in Conference USA may be over. Louisville's may be just beginning.

Freshman Francisco Garcia scored a career-high 24 points and tied a school record with eight 3-pointers as the fifth-ranked Cardinals beat the Bearcats 77-71 on Wednesday night to extend the nation's longest active winning streak to 16 games.

"They are good. Very good," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said.

Reece Gaines had 17 points and seven assists and Marvin Stone grabbed 11 rebounds for the Cardinals (17-1, 7-0 Conference USA), who are off to the program's best start since the 1955-56 team won 19 of its first 20 games.

The winning streak is the longest for Louisville since the 1985-86 squad won its final 17 games on the way to the program's second NCAA championship.

"We needed a game like that because we've won so many in a row and won games by double-digits. Sometimes, you lose focus," Stone said.

Bobbitt quits Bearcats CINCINNATI (AP) -- University of Cincinnati junior guard Tony Bobbitt, one of the basketball team's top substitutes, has quit. Bobbitt was absent from practice on Monday and Tuesday and was not traveling with the team for Wednesday night's game at No. 5 Louisville. He remains enrolled in school. Bobbitt scored 29 points in Cincinnati's Dec. 17 win over Oregon but had only two other double-figure scoring performances. Bobbitt is from Daytona Beach, Fla. He had transferred to Cincinnati from the College of Southern Idaho this year. He played in all but one of the Bearcats' 18 games, averaging 7.2 points and 1.8 rebounds.

But Louisville coach Rick Pitino said his team didn't prove anything to him against the Bearcats.

"We are not a dominating team. We could lose to anyone in the conference," he said.

Jason Maxiell scored 21 and Field Williams added 14 for the Bearcats (13-6, 6-3), who've lost three in a row for only the fifth time in Huggins' 14 seasons. Cincinnati is in danger of not winning at least a share of the Conference USA regular-season title for the first time in the league's eight-year history.

Maxiell wasn't ready to concede the conference crown to the Cardinals just yet.

"We are still the team to beat," he said.

The Bearcats were the first Louisville opponent in 11 games at Freedom Hall this season to lose by single digits, but that was no consolation to Huggins, who was so disgusted with his team's recent play, he banished his players to an auxiliary locker room earlier this week.

"If this program has sunk that low, it's a pretty sad, sad state if you're into moral victories," Huggins said.

While Garcia and Gaines provided the offense for Louisville, the Cardinals clinched the win with suffocating full-court pressure down the stretch.

Garcia made his seventh 3-pointer with 16:07 left to give Louisville a 45-29 lead, its widest to that point.

But Garcia picked up his third foul three minutes later and Pitino benched him. The Bearcats went on a 12-4 run over the next five minutes.

"We got a little lax with our defense," Garcia said. "That's why Coach was unhappy with us."

Gaines hit a fadeaway jumper and 3-pointer -- Louisville's only one by someone other than Garcia -- as the Cardinals rebuilt a double-digit lead.

The Bearcats closed the gap to six three times, but got no closer.

Garcia tied James Brewer's 10-year-old school record with a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:40 left that put Louisville up 65-56.

"Garcia played great," Gaines said. "Without him, we probably would have lost."

The Bearcats came into the game averaging a national low 9.9 turnovers per game, but committed a season-high 22 and shot 39 percent (24-of-61).

Cincinnati seemed confused on offense from the start, turning the ball over eight times in the first 6:38. The Cardinals couldn't take advantage though, missing nine of their first 12 shots.

Neither team led by more than three until Garcia's third 3-pointer of the game gave the Cardinals a 21-17 lead with 6:47 left in the half.

The Cardinals hit seven of their last 12 shots during a half-ending 16-7 run.

The frustrated Bearcats finished the first half with 13 turnovers, more than they've committed in all but four games this season.

"We had guys trying to do things they couldn't do in the first half," Huggins said. "In the second half, we stayed with what we were trying to do better."

Earlier Wednesday, Cincinnati announced that guard Tony Bobbitt had quit the team.

The 6-foot-4 junior had been a key reserve for the Bearcats, averaging 7.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 17 games. He scored 16 in the Bearcats' 82-76 loss to No. 15 Marquette last Saturday.

 

Related information

Stories

Week at a Glance: Arizona is still nation's best Power Rankings: Allow some wiggle room Mike Fish: Why should athletes get special treatment?

Stats

Cincinnati-Louisville Box Score

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video