Fortson Leads Bearcats Past Billikens

Men’s Top 25

Danny Fortson had 24 points and 10 rebounds Sunday night and No. 6 Cincinnati beat host Saint Louis 64-52 in the Conference USA opener for both teams.

Playing its first road game, Cincinnati (9-2) won its seventh game in a row and beat Saint Louis for the fifth straight time. True to the series, Saint Louis kept it somewhat close at home despite shooting only 27.8 percent. Last season, Cincinnati’s defending conference champions beat the Billikens (5-7) by 32 points at home and by five on the road.

Fortson made his first six shots, all from the baseline about 10 feet from the basket, and seven of his first eight. Twelve of his points came in a 16-4 run that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 21-9 lead with 7:19 left in the first half.

(13) Duke 66, Georgia Tech 56

At Atlanta, Trajan Langdon and Jeff Capel hit key 3-point baskets in the final 5 minutes, and Duke made all 19 of its second-half free throws as the Blue Devils captured their sixth victory in a row by defeating the Yellow Jackets.

The Blue Devils (11-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 42-31 with 16:56 remaining after Matt Harpring hit a 3-pointer for the Yellow Jackets (6-5, 0-2).

Duke used two runs to close the gap and eventually take the lead, the first an 11-3 spurt in which Greg Newton scored 7 of his 17 points.

Florida 75, (22) Arkansas 62

At Gainesville, Fla., Greg Stolt scored 21 points and Dan Williams’ two 3-pointers keyed a late surge that led the Gators to their victory over the Razorbacks.

The Gators (8-5, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) used a 12-0 run at the start to take the lead for good, and a 12-0 run late in the game for a 66-50 lead with 4:11 left.

The Razorbacks (6-4, 0-2), who had never lost to Florida since joining the league six years ago, are off to their worst start ever in the SEC.

Pat Bradley had 14 points and broke Lee Mayberry’s school record by making a 3-pointer for the 29th straight game. Lee Wilson had 13 points.