Recap: Cincinnati 76 NKU 60

The 18th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats returned to the court Tuesday evening for their first road test of the season.

(Photos: Taylor Keeton / RiverfrontU )

Dressed in their all-black uniforms, the Bearcats made the short trip across the Ohio River to Truist Arena in Highlands Heights to meet the NKU Norse out of the Horizon League. 

Two seasons ago, Cincinnati made the same trip and left the arena with a 64-51 loss after scoring just 11 points in the second half. 

"That was really hard when we went over there two years ago," Miller told media following UC's win over Nicholls Friday night. "I know this, Darrin Horn's a great coach. They lost a tough game at the buzzer (Nicholls, last week) with the lead down the stretch. They will respond and be ready for the Bearcats. We've got to get our team ready."

 Early on, the Norse were up for the challenge. 

Sam Vinson entered Tuesday night averaging just five points per game but scored six of the Norse first eight points as Cincinnati led 11-8 after a James three-pointer with 14:03 remaining in the first half.

Vinson would go on to score 11 first half points to lead all scorers, while James scored nine to lead UC.

A Northern Kentucky native Vinson buried a three with :19 seconds remaining in the first half to cut the Cincinnati lead to 32-28.

The Bearcats led by as many as nine during the first half but a 9-2 NKU run prevented UC from pulling away.

The Norse won the rebounding battle 20-11 in the first half, while also shooting 54% from the field.

Despite the struggles on the glass, the Bearcats were able to force 12 NKU turnovers and convert those into 17 points. 

Needing some momentum to take the home crowd out of the game to begin the second half, Simas Lukosius buried a three on the Bearcats' first possession of the to extend the UC lead to 35-28.

Much like the first half, NKU was once again up for the challenge.

Josh Dilling's three with 16:27 remaining in the second half cut the UC lead to 41-40 and prompted Wes Miller to call a timeout.

Whatever was said in the timeout, Simas Lukosius seemed to take personal.

Lukosius answered the NKU run with a three to push the Bearcat lead back to four, 44-40, and would then bury two more three-pointers to push the UC lead to 54-45 with 11:07 remaining in the game. 

Conner Hickman's three after a Trey Robinson basket would kick-start a 7-0 run as the Bearcats pushed their lead out to 61-47 with 7:48 left.

Dunks by Arrinten Page and Dillon Mitchell were followed by a Tyler Betsey three with 3:35 remaining to extend the Bearcats' lead to 70-53.

Simas Lukosius finished 5-for-5 from three in the second half and finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three as Cincinnati outscored the Norse 44-32  to walk out of Truist Arena with a 76-60 win.

The Bearcats made 11-of-22 three's for the game.

Final Stats and Notes:

- Day Day Thomas hadn't played prior to Tuesday night but after a successful pre-game warmup, was given the green light to go.

Thomas entered the game out of the first media timeout and immediately converted a tough take to the basket.

On the next possession, Tyler Betsey drained a three from the wing to extend the UC lead to 18-12 at the 11:39 mark.

Thomas finished 1-for-5 from the field, but was aggressive going to the rim and played great defense while also dishing out four assists.

- Dillon Mitchell had yet another efficient night, contributing 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting while also pulling down 6 rebounds.

With Cincinnati leading by 10 with 8:43 remaining, Mitchell scored on consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 61-47.

- Sophomore big man Arrinten Page (8 pts, 4 rbs) and freshman Tyler Betsey (7 pts, 4 pts) combined for 15 of Cincinnati's 17 bench points. With competition starting to increase real soon, it is important for both of these young players to get as much game experience as possible.

- The Bearcats were out-rebounded 36-27 but showed more aggression around the rim in the second half. Cincinnati finished with 36 points in the paint and scored 20 points off 15 NKU turnovers. UC was efficient in the second half, shooting 74% (17-of-23). 

- Following the game, Wes Miller stated that he didn't think Jizzle James played that well, but you look down and the sophomore point guard has 11 points, six assists, and three steals. James has been consistent through the first four games and continues to be the calming force at both ends of the floor that this team needs during tough times.

Final Thoughts:

Cincinnati went into a tough environment tonight and got better. 

NKU crashed the boards differently than any other team they've faced this season and also gave them a different look with their unique match up zone. 

These are the types of games and environments that makes a team better early in the season. UC finally had a team respond with a run of their own and applied pressure to make the Bearcats dig in on the defensive end and get stops when they needed them. 

Up next:

Saturday at Georgia Tech 2:00 ACC Network

Postgame video: Miller, Lukosius, Thomas