By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Cincinnati, Ohio---Despite four players scoring in double figures, the No. 17 Owens Community College men's basketball team dropped an 86-73 decision to No. 14 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on the road today.

Owens opened the game on a 15-6 run, while getting points from five different players during that stretch. However, after a timeout, Cincinnati State trimmed its deficit to one over the next two minutes. 

Owens responded by scoring four straight points, but Cincinnati State answered that with a 10-0 run and never trailed again.

Cincinnati State led by 13 at the half. In the second half, Owens trimmed the lead to as few as seven on a Pete Firlik (Catholic Central/Grand Rapids, Mich.) 3-pointer with 13:28 left, but Cincinnati State held strong and led by as many as 18 late.

Firlik scored a team-high 14 points for Owens, while Cameron White (Bowsher/Toledo, Ohio) and John Murry (North Central/Indianapolis, Ind.) each had 11. Kenny Jones (Clay/South Bend, Ind.) was the fourth and final player in double figures with 10, and he also added a team-high six rebounds. Shaakir Lindsey (Teaneck/Teaneck, N.J.) had a game-high six assists, and Jones had three steals.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati State had five players in double figures led by 16 apiece from Davion Ashe and Alexandre Baptiste. Grover Anderson and Adam McCall each had 14, and James Kilpatrick added 11. Anderson had a game-high eight rebounds, while Ashe and Kilpatrick each had a team-high five assists. Kilpatrick tied Jones for the game-high in steals (3).

With the win, Cincinnati State improved to 18-5 overall and 5-2 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play, while Owens fell to 17-6 overall and 5-2 in OCCAC play. Both teams are now tied for second place in OCCAC play behind Lakeland Community College (7-0).

Owens will travel to Cuyahoga Community College on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup.