LAHAINA » Sophomore Yancy Gates wants to restore the legacy at Cincinnati basketball.

After consecutive victories over ranked opponents, the Bearcats are well on their way.

Gates scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds and Deonta Vaughn had 16 points in leading the Bearcats to the championship game of the Maui Invitational with a surprising 69-57 victory over No. 21 Maryland yesterday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

“;Maui is the top tournament in the country,”; Gates said after scoring 12 of Cincinnati's 22 points during a second-half stretch that helped fend off the feisty Terrapins.

“;For us if we can win this tournament and get our name up on that (championship) banner forever, I think it would be good step toward restoring Bearcat history and also building our confidence as the season goes on.”;

Cincinnati will now take on Gonzaga in today's championship, a major accomplishment for a young program making its first appearance on Maui.

“;There's no question that our guys are trying to restore the Bearcat tradition,”; Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. “;We got a chance to put our name on that banner now tomorrow.

“;We've been to our share of Final Fours and our two national championships. It would be great for our program to do that,”; he added. “;Like I told our guys, you can't win unless you get to the title fight.”;

Now they're in the final round, thanks to a handful of blows by Gates, their 6-foot-9 inside threat who demonstrated why he could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big East this season.

No. 5 Kentucky 73, Cleveland State 49

Heralded freshman John Wall found his form in the second half and proved too much to handle in the open floor as the Wildcats (5-0) raced past the Vikings in the Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort in Mexico.

Wall scored a team-high 15 points, including 11 after halftime, as he zipped past the Cleveland State (3-2) defense.

No. 3 Texas 78, Pittsburgh 62

J'Covan Brown scored 12 points to help the Longhorns (4-0) beat the Panthers (4-1) in the championship game of the CBE Classic in North Carolina.

Damion James had 20 points and nine rebounds for Texas, which took charge with a 14-3 run in the second half.

No. 8 West Virginia 69, The Citadel 50

John Flowers came off the bench to score 13 points and the host Mountaineers (2-0) never trailed in a win over the Bulldogs (3-3).

Kevin Jones added 11 points and Darrell Bryant and Casey Mitchell had 10 apiece for WVU.

No. 10 Syracuse 88, Cornell 73

Freshman guard Brandon Triche scored a season-high 21 points, Andy Rautins added 18, and the Orange (5-0) beat the visiting Big Red (2-2).

It was the 32nd straight win in the series for Syracuse, but the Orange didn't settle it until the second half.

No. 17 Ohio State 84, Lipscomb 64

David Lighty scored a career-high 22 points and Evan Turner posted his second triple-double of the season to lead the host Buckeyes (4-1) past the Bisons (0-4).

Turner finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

No. 20 Illinois 78, Wofford 64

Demetri McCamey scored 21 points and the Fighting Illini (4-0) used a second-half run to beat the visiting Terriers (2-3) in the Las Vegas Invitational.

Illinois was in a tight game before using a 28-12 spurt in the second half to put the game away.

No. 23 Notre Dame 80, Kennesaw State 62

Luke Harangody had 29 points and 15 rebounds to help the Irish (5-0) beat the Owls in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Harangody had a double-double in the first half with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Abromaitis added 14 points. The Irish have scored at least 80 points in each game in getting off to their best start since going 7-0 to open the 2001-02 season.

No. 24 Vanderbilt 68, Chaminade 41

John Jenkins had 14 points and the Commodores (3-1) went on a 24-0 run in the second half for a victory over the tournament-host Silverswords in a consolation-round game at the Maui Invitational.

WAC

Utah State 77, Idaho State 44

Tai Wesley scored 19 points and shot 8-for-11 from the field as the host Aggies (2-2) ran past the Bengals.

Boise State 82, Eastern Washington 69

Ike Okoye had 21 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and a career-tying six blocks and the visiting Broncos (3-2) withstood the Eagles' second-half charge.

Idaho 75, Sacramento State 61

Host Idaho (3-1) had four players in double figures, with Luiz Toledo leading the way with 15 points. Kashif Watson and Marvin Jefferson each had 12 points and Luciano de Souza added 11.

Cal State Fullerton 84, New Mexico State 73

Aaron Thompson tied his career high with 22 points, Jacques Streeter added 20 and the host Titans (3-0) overcame a 25-3 deficit to beat the Aggies (1-3).