Fortson Near-Perfect in Cincinnati Victory

The only person who stopped Danny Fortson all night was Danny Fortson.

After missing most of the first half because of foul trouble, Fortson returned and scored 23 second-half points Thursday night, leading No. 7 Cincinnati to a 102-79 nonconference victory over previously unbeaten Eastern Michigan at Cincinnati.

Fortson finished with 33 points on 14-of-15 shooting--a school record for accuracy--and added to his legacy as one of the nation’s top players.

“No answers. No answers for probably the best college ballplayer in the country,” Eastern Michigan Coach Milton Barnes said. “He was too much for us to handle in the second half. I hope we don’t play anybody else like Danny Fortson.”

Cincinnati (4-2) struggled when Fortson went to the bench with his second foul less than eight minutes into the game. Eastern Michigan (6-1) surged ahead by six points and was playing with confidence.

All that changed when Fortson started the second half and took control. He scored on dunks, layups and jump shots, missing only one sloppy jumper early in the second half.

He was unaware that his 93.3% shooting established a school record. His aim helped Cincinnati set another school record by shooting 67.2% for the game (41 of 61).

Fortson complemented his 33 points with a team-high 11 rebounds.

No. 19 Arkansas 95, McNeese State 68--Ali Thompson, making his second start at Arkansas, scored a career-high 25 points as the Razorbacks beat the Cowboys in a nonconference game at Fayetteville.

Thompson, who scored 17 points against Troy State nine days earlier, had three baskets in a 62-second span and 15 points in the first half as Arkansas (5-1) built a 20-point lead. The Razorbacks scored the final six points of the first half and the Cowboys (5-4) were scoreless during the first 3:15 of the second half as the margin grew to 30.

Arkansas moved ahead by 18 after a 12-1 run in the first half, but Rosell Ellis then made two consecutive jump hooks for McNeese State, which could get no closer than 14 of the Razorbacks the rest of the game.