=== Starks, Hoyas get past Cincinnati for 7th consecutive win ===
 
 Cincinnati,  OH (Sports Network) - Markel Starks scored 17 points and hit some
 key  free  throws down the  stretch to boost No.  15 Georgetown to its seventh
 straight win, 62-55 over Cincinnati.
 
 Otto  Porter  Jr. added 16 points  and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 14 for the
 Hoyas  (19-4,  9-3 Big East),  who won despite wasting  a 12-point lead in the
 second  half. They are  in sole possession of first place in the conference, a
 half-game ahead of Syracuse and Marquette.
 
 JaQuon  Parker  had 15 points, while  Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright each
 scored  12 for  the Bearcats (19-7, 7-6),  who lost for the third time in four
 contests.
 
 "Basketball  is a  game of  who makes  fewer mistakes.  Georgetown made  fewer
 mistakes than us tonight," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said.
 
 Starks,  who gave  the Hoyas the lead  for good by draining a 3-pointer with 5
 1/2  minutes left,  went 5-of-6  from the  charity stripe  over the  last 47.7
 seconds of the game.
 
 Parker  drove the  left baseline  and  hit a  leaning  bank shot  to give  the
 Bearcats  a  51-50 edge  with 6:53  remaining. It  was Cincinnati's first lead
 since 7-6.
 
 Starks  went 1-for-2  at the  foul line  a half-minute  later and  after Titus
 Rubles  missed  a pair of  free throws, Starks gave  the visitors the lead for
 good by burying a 3-point shot.
 
 Cincinnati  had a few opportunities to tie or go ahead, but faltered thanks in
 part  to poor  shooting. The hosts went  9-of-28 from the field over the final
 20 minutes and finished 4-of-24 from 3-point range.
 
 Jermaine  Sanders and  Parker both missed 3-point opportunities with under two
 minutes left.
 
 Porter  made  two free throws  with 1:16 left for  a 57-53 margin. Starks made
 another  from the charity stripe a short time later before the Bearcats sealed
 their  own  fate due to a  devastating turnover. Sanders missed a 3-point try.
 Cheikh  Mbodj  got the  offensive rebound,  but threw the  ball right into the
 hands of Starks with 37 seconds left.
 
 Starks converted 4-of-4 from the foul line over the final 31.2 seconds.
 
 "I  shoot a lot of free throws every day. It just hurts when I miss one or two
 because  in  my head I think,  I shoot so many  of them," Starks said. "At the
 same  time, you  have to keep your  composure because the crowd gets going and
 your  nerves start to  go. You just have to keep your composure and stay calm.
 You  practice this shot  every day. You just have to stay with it. I am glad I
 hit them."
 
 The  Hoyas  led by as many  as nine in the  opening half before taking a 31-25
 edge  to  the intermission.  The  margin  stretched  to 43-31  following  Nate
 Lubick's jumper with 15:17 remaining. Then came Cincinnati's big run.
 
 "That  was a tough stretch where they were picking apart our zone," Georgetown
 coach  John Thompson III said. "Like I said before, we were in zone because of
 the  foul situation and were just trying to hold on. Once we went back to man-
 to-man  we settled  down a little bit.  Also, during that stretch we made some
 very poor decisions at the offensive end and we were able to eventually settle
 down with that too."
 
                                   Game Notes
 
 Wright  (192) became  Cincinnati's all-time steals leader, passing the mark of
 189  from David  "Puffy"  Kennedy from  1977-81 ...  Georgetown  had lost  the
 previous four meetings ... Cincinnati shot 31.5 percent.
 
 
 02/16 01:10:58 ET

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