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CINCINNATI -- Kyle Washington scored 18 points and Jacob Evans added 17 as No. 18 Cincinnati defeated Tulsa 80-60 on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena, giving Mick Cronin his 300th career victory. Cronin improved to 300-156 in 14 seasons, including a 231-132 mark at Cincinnati, in a game the Bearcats broke open in the second half before a crowd of 13,386.
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Cronin accepted a commemorative ball during a brief post-game ceremony but said he didn't dwell on the milestone with his players.
"I don't talk about stuff like that," Cronin said. "I talk to my players about what we've got to do to make a run in March. You can't come out and ignore the scouting report defensively and let a team score like that, especially in your own gym."
The Bearcats (24-3, 13-1 in the American Athletic Conference) endured rough patches defensively in the opening 20 minutes and Sterling Taplin made the team pay with a lay-up off a turnover right before halftime.
Cincinnati clamped down after the break, allowing Tulsa (12-14, 6-8) only 28 second-half points on 37.5 percent shooting.
Offense was never an issue for the Bearcats, who mounted a 16-2 run that ensured a 20-point lead less than seven minutes into the second half. Tulsa never recovered as the run expanded to 26-5.
The Golden Hurricane's spiral started with Taplin's foul along the perimeter, which sent Evans to the line for three shots. He made two. Troy Caupain hit a jumper and Evans converted a turnover into a layup, forcing Tulsa coach Frank Haith to call a timeout with 16:38 left.
It was one of Evans' most productive games in weeks.
"I was just trying to be aggressive," Evans said. "When I'm aggressive offensively and defensively I feel like it just helps the team. I can't just float around on the offensive end, just being passive."
Cincinnati piled on points while the Golden Hurricane slogged through a five-minute scoring drought. By the time Tulsa guard Pat Birt buried a 3-pointer to end the skid, the Bearcats were well in control.
A subsequent Tulsa technical foul sent guard Kevin Johnson to the line. His two free throws, plus Gary Clark's dunk and Washington's free throw paved led to a 61-37 advantage.
Johnson delivered a 3-pointer that widened an insurmountable deficit. Tulsa trailed by as many as 27 points.
"We weren't physical enough to come in here and win that game," Haith said. "But I thought our guys gave ourselves a chance by how they competed, and that's all you can ask for."
The teams' first meeting, on Feb. 1 at Tulsa, had a much different complexion. Cincinnati came back from an 11-point deficit and won on Caupain's jumper with four seconds left.
Cronin said Cincinnati's focus on Taplin made a difference Saturday.
"Once we were able to keep Taplin out of the lane and do a much better job of containing him, the game changed," Cronin said.
Both teams scored in bunches initially in the rematch, and a shootout between Evans and Tulsa's Junior Etou provided a compelling subplot.
Etou buried four 3-pointers en route to 14 first-half points. He didn't score again until 2:55 remained in the game and finished with a team-best 22 points and eight rebounds.
"(Etou) kind of put his trigger away until late in the game and we need to get him understanding he can't go away," Haith said. "He can't hide. He has got to continue to be assertive, but obviously he had a good game."
Cincinnati surrendered nine points off nine turnovers in the first half and finished with 13 miscues, a team-high since committing 18 in a Jan. 21 win at Tulane.
The Bearcats were without freshman Jarron Cumberland, who did not play due to a curfew violation.
NOTES: The Bearcats extended their home winning streak to 24 games. The streak is the longest in the Mick Cronin era. ... Cincinnati clinched a first-round bye in the AAC tourney with Wednesday's victory at South Florida. ... Tulsa has lost six straight, a skid that started with a Feb. 1 loss to the Bearcats. With Saturday's defeat, the Golden Hurricane has dropped seven of their last eight games. ... The last time the Golden Hurricane won in Cincinnati was 1967, when both teams were in the Missouri Valley Conference.
