updated 1:38 a.m. ET Dec. 14, 2006

CINCINNATI - Freshman guard Deonta Vaughn scored 24 points Wednesday night, hitting the pivotal shots that helped Cincinnati surge ahead and hold on for a 67-57 home-court victory over crosstown rival Xavier.

Vaughn led the Bearcats (7-2) back from a seven-point deficit in the first half, helped them pull ahead by 10 in the second half, then made consecutive jumpers that prevented Xavier (7-3) from catching up down the stretch.

John Williamson added 18 points for Cincinnati, which beat Xavier for only the second time in their last five games.

Josh Duncan and Justin Cage scored 14 points apiece for Xavier, which had 18 turnovers, including five offensive fouls. Shooting guard Stanley Burrell failed to score, going 0-for-10 from the field, and forward Justin Doellman fouled out after scoring only four.

The annual rivalry game lost much of its sizzle this year.

Neither team was ranked — Cincinnati is rebuilding under first-year coach Mick Cronin, and Xavier frittered away its first national ranking in three years by losing at Creighton 73-67 on Saturday.

The game was televised on ESPNU, which is not carried by the local cable company, making it tough to find.

And, for the first time in 18 years, the cameras wouldn’t find Bob Huggins, the former Cincinnati coach who was forced out before last season. His assistant, Andy Kennedy, coached the Bearcats to a 73-71 overtime loss last season on Xavier’s court, with Huggins watching from a luxury box.

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A sign of diminished interest: The game wasn’t sold out until Wednesday morning. In years past, the home team’s students camped out to get tickets. This year, dozens of blue-clad Xavier fans could buy tickets that put them shoulder-to-shoulder with Cincinnati students in red and black behind the baskets.

The intermingled fans got to see a typical Xavier-Cincinnati game — close right down to the closing minutes.

Xavier held a slim lead for most of the first half, pulling ahead by as many as seven. Vaughn scored 11 in the half, including a pair of free throws and two baskets during an 8-2 run that tied it.

Cedric McGowan, the Bearcats’ only returning starter, made a 25-foot shot just before the buzzer for a 32-29 halftime lead that revved the capacity crowd of 13,176 — the Bearcats’ first home sellout of the season.

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Williamson opened the second half with a pull-up jumper and fastbreak layup that increased Cincinnati’s lead to 36-29. Vaughn had a steal and layup, then a driving basket that made it 49-39.

Back-to-back three-point plays by Cage cut it to 49-47 with 8:24 to go, but Vaughn made a 3-pointer from the right corner and a 10-foot jumper from the baseline to blunt the comeback.

Marcus Sikes then finished off the Musketeers by getting a rebound and powering in for a three-point play that made it 58-51 with 3:04 to go. Cincinnati hit its free throws down the stretch to pull away.

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