INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jason Maxiell claimed his spot under the basket and practically dared Iowa to take the ball inside. Maxiell had 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots and a pair of steals Thursday and No. 23 Cincinnati beat the Hawkeyes 76-64 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.<br>
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The Bearcats (25-7) advanced to Saturday's second round of the Austin Regional against Kentucky (26-5), which won its opener 72-64 over Eastern Kentucky at the RCA Dome.<br>
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Cincinnati showed a decidedly more physical game and threatened to run away from the Hawkeyes almost from the start.<br>
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With the 6-foot-7 Maxiell repeatedly swatting away shots under the basket and Iowa unable to hit from the outside, the Bearcats limited the Hawkeyes to just one field goal and three free throws in the first 11 minutes of the game. Three-pointers by Nick Williams, James White and Armein Kirkland, meanwhile, sparked a 21-3 run that put Cincinnati in control midway through the first half. <br>
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Iowa, which shot 34 percent for the game, missed 13 of its first 14 shots before a basket by Jeff Horner and 3-pointer by Carlton Reed with less than 8 minutes left in the first half. The Hawkeyes finally started hitting late in the period, cutting their 18-point deficit to 32-22 at the break, and continued their rally early in the second half.<br>
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A 3-pointer by Greg Brunner, who led Iowa with 20 points and 10 rebounds, pulled the Hawkeyes to 34-29. Then, after Maxiell hit one of two free throws, another 3-pointer by Horner made it 35-32.<br>
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That was as close as Iowa came.<br>
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Williams hit two straight 3-pointers, Eric Hicks and Maxiell each scored a basket and, after an Iowa turnover, Maxiell completed a 12-point Cincinnati run with another basket for a 47-32 lead. Iowa never came closer than 10 points after that. <br>
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Another 3-pointer by Horner brought the Hawkeyes within 60-50, but they then went without a field goal for more than six minutes. Maxiell blocked two more shots and put the game out of reach with a pair of 3-pointers and a dunk.<br>
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White added 15 points and Williams finished with 13 for Cincinnati. Horner had 12 points for the Hawkeyes, whose leading scorer for the season, Pierre Pierce, was kicked off the team in February after his arrest for assault.
