No. 23 Cincinnati 61, South Florida 54: Sean Kilpatrick scored a game-high 18 points, including 11 in the second half, as the Bearcats won their 10th straight by turning back the host Bulls in an American Athletic Conference slugfest.

Shaquille Thomas added 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting for Cincinnati (17-2, 6-0 AAC), which is off to its best start in eight seasons under Mick Cronin. Justin Jackson chipped in nine points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot for the Bearcats, who held their opponent under 70 points for the 26th consecutive game - the longest active streak in the nation.

Javontae Hawkins came off the bench to lead South Florida (10-8, 1-4) with 15 points. Victor Rudd bounced back from a season-low five-point outing against SMU with 12 points and nine rebounds while John Egbunu added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who shot only 2-of-9 from 3-point range to fall for the fourth time in five games.

Cincinnati led by as many as seven points early in the second half before South Florida battled back for its only lead of the half at 35-34 on a Rudd jumper. With the game tied at 47, the Bearcats went on an 11-2 run, holding the Bulls - who shot just over 39 percent in the game - to one basket over the next six minutes to take control at 58-49 and hold on down the stretch.

The Bulls shot 36 percent in the first half, but held Patrick - the leading scorer in the ACC - to seven points as they controlled the boards to stay close. After falling behind 19-11 midway through the half, South Florida went on a 13-3 run to take its first lead at 24-22 before back-to-back 3-pointers from Ge'Lawn Guyn sparked the Bearcats to hit the intermission with a 30-26 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Patrick moved into fifth place among all-time scorers at Cincinnati with 1,797 points. … South Florida outrebounded Cincinnati 36-30. … F Titus Rubles had three blocked shots for the Bearcats, who tallied six blocks to just one for the Bulls.