A terribly slow start doomed the No. 11 Cincinnati Bearcats against the rival Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center on Saturday. Falling behind 11-2 in the first four and a half minutes, the Bearcats never really got back in it, losing 89-76 in the Crosstown Shootout.
The Bearcats (7-1), who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, shot just 40 percent from the floor and got only eight points from players not named Gary Clark and Cane Broome in those first 20 minutes. Clark finished with 14 points and seven rebounds overall, producing 10 of those points before intermission.