Central Plains FFA Chapter

12/13 16:22 CST Blue Cain scores 22 points and Georgia romps in the second half to beat Cincinnati 84-65 Blue Cain scores 22 points and Georgia romps in the second half to beat Cincinnati 84-65 By PAUL NEWBERRY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) --- Blue Cain scored 22 points and Georgia blew away Cincinnati in the second half, beating the Bearcats 84-65 Saturday in the first game of a college basketball doubleheader. Playing about 75 miles from its campus, Georgia (9-1) pulled away from a 37-37 tie at halftime, essentially sealing the victory when Marcus Millender's 3-pointer with about 4 minutes to go pushed the margin to 70-58. Cain overcame an 0-for-6 performance from beyond the arc by hitting 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. He also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jeremiah Wilkinson added 17 points, while Millender chipped in with 10 off the bench. Cincinnati (6-4) was led by Jalen Celestine with 13 points. Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam had 11 apiece, but the Bearcats couldn't overcome a dismal shooting day. They hit just 23 of 65 (35%) from the field and missed nine free throws. Georgia came in leading the nation in scoring with an average of nearly 100 points a game. But the Bulldogs looked a bit sluggish coming off an 11-day break. Cincinnati controlled most of the first half, leading by as many as 11 points against a team that had not trailed by more than 10 in any of its previous games. But Georgia closed the period on a 15-4 run, holding the Bearcats without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. That momentum carried over to the second half, as the Bulldogs dominated down the stretch for the latest in a stretch of lopsided victories. Cincinnati entered having won two of the previous three meetings between the two schools. Another Southeastern Conference school, No. 21 Auburn, was set to face Chattanooga in the second game of te Holiday Hoopsgiving twin-bill at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta.

Up next Cincinnati: Host Alabama State on Wednesday. Georgia: Returns to Athens to face Western Carolina on Thursday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball