Recap: Utah 69 Cincinnati 66
It was another disappointing night for Wes Miller and his team as the Bearcats celebrated Miller's 41st birthday with a 69-66 loss at Utah.
Consistency was once again a problem. When the Bearcats got stops, they couldn't score. When they were efficient and converting at a high level offensively, they couldn't get stops.
"I didn't think we defended well to start the game. I thought we were real good offensively then, but I did not like our defensive effort," Miller told media following the game. "It felt like they made 100 straight field goals to start. We were playing scrappy and tough and made a lot of plays on the basketball, but we had a lot of silly fouls reaching in and putting them on the foul line. We left quite a bit of (foul shots) on our own end."
Utah finished the game shooting 53% from the field (26-of-49), making 5-of-13 3-point attempts, and 12-of-17 free throws.
Cincinnati was out-rebounded for a seventh consecutive game, 41-23, and outscored in the paint, 36-22.
Defensively, Cincinnati forced 19 turnovers, converting those opportunities into 21 points.
Former Bearcat Gabe Madsen led Utah with 18 points, finishing the Bearcats off with seven points over the final 2:00.
Keanu Dawes reached double figures for Utah, scoring 12 points while also pulling down 9 rebounds. Ezra Ausar scored all 11 of his points during the first half to help key a 40-34 halftime lead by the Utes.
(Photo: Utah Athletics)
The Bearcats battled back from multiple deficits, including putting together a 14-0 run to take a six-point lead with 11 minutes left, but offensive inconsistency during key stretches contributed to a Cincinnati loss.
UC was held without a field goal over the final 3:38 and had three straight misses during the second half at the free throw line in 1-and-1 situations prior to reaching the double bonus.
Overall, UC finished 39% from the field, making 22-of-56 field goal attempts. Three-point shooting was an improvement from recent games, as Cincinnati made 8-of-22 attempts from deep.
Jizzle James led UC with 18 points, making 6-of-13 attempts from the field and 2-of-4 from deep.
Simas Lukosius was the only other Bearcat to reach double figures, scoring 10 points, keyed by a 2-for-6 effort from three.
Dillon Mitchell, Aziz Bandaogo, and Josh Reed all scored seven points. Mitchell led the Bearcats with six rebounds.
Freshman Tyle Betsey made 2-of-5 three's to finish with six points.
With the loss, Cincinnati is now 12-8 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play with West Virginia up next on Sunday inside Fifth Third Arena.
Utah ends a two-game losing streak and are now 12-8 overall, 4-5 Big 12.
Game Notes:
First Half:
15:44- Cincinnati led 12-11 after a review of Jizzle James' first shot was changed to a three instead of a two. James led the Bearcats with five points at the first media stop, while Ezra Ausar made his first three field goal attempts to lead Utah with seven points. Both teams came out red-hot, combining to make 10-of-13 field goal attempts.
11:37- After UC took a 12-9 lead on a Skillings layup, Utah went on a 7-0 run over the next 1:34 to take a 16-12 lead at 14:48. The Utes would miss their next four field goal attempts and were held scoreless for 3:11. UC was held scoreless for over two minutes following an Arrinten Page basket to cut the lead to 16-14 at 11:37.
8:47- Utah took a 20-16 lead out of the media timeout, but Cincinnati answered with a 7-0 run over the next 1:19 to give the Bearcats a 23-20 at 8:47. Day Day Thomas' three was followed by a dunk by Bandaogo in transition, as well as a putback dunk by Mitchell off a Skillings miss.
6:20- Utah scored four quick points to regain the lead, 24-23, but freshman Tyler Betsey gave Cincinnati the lead with a three from the right wing. Former Bearcat Gabe Madsen scored five straight for Utah, including a three, to put Utah back on top 27-26 at 6:20. Utah was shooting 71% from the field and had made five straight field goal attempts.
3:17- Gabe Madsen scored nine straight for Utah to give the Utes a 31-28 lead. After making his fourth straight field goal attempts, he missed a three to end a streak of seven straight makes from the field for Utah. Keanu Dawes' three at 3:55 gave Utah a 34-28 advantage. Jizzle James answered with a three at the other end to cut the lead to three at 3:17.
2:00- Jizzle James scored five straight to cut the Utah lead to 34-33 and Dillon Mitchell made 1-of-2 free throws at 2:00 to tie the score at 34. The Bearcats missed their final six field goal attempts and were held scoreless during the final 2:00 as Utah closed the half on a 6-0 run over the final 1:48 to take a 40-34 halftime lead. Key moment was Simas Lukosius missing two free throws following a technical foul on Ezra Ausar. UC finished 1-of-5 from the line during the first half.
Second Half:
14:51: Utah opened up an 8-point lead at 17:17 after dunks by Mike Sharavjamts and Lawson Lovering gave the Utes a 44-36 advantage. Cincinnati was able to hold Utah scoreless over the next 2:26, allowing UC to cut the lead to 44-41 following two Skillings free throws and a three by Lukosius.
12:51: Utah hadn't scored in 4:26, turning the ball over five times during the same time frame. Day Day Thomas' steal and dunk at 12:59 tied the score at 44. UC had been 1-for-9 from the field to open the second half prior to the dunk. A 5-of-6 showing from the free throw line keyed UC's 8-0 run over 3:57 to tie the score.
12:32: Tyler Betsey 3-pointer gives the Bearcats a 47-44 lead.
10:59: Josh Reed banks in a second chance three to extend the UC run to 14-0 over 5:49 to give the Bearcats a 50-44 advantage. Utah had missed five straight from the field and hadn't scored in 6:18. The Utes had six turnovers during their scoring drought.
7:06: After briefly gaining momentum, Cincinnati went 2:47 without a field goal, including three straight misses from the free throw line in 1-and-1 situations. Utah answered the Bearcat offensive struggles with a 12-2 run over 3:36 to lead 56-52 with 7:06 remaining in the second half.
4:59: Utah extends their lead to 62-54 with two free throws and had outscored UC 18-4 over 6:17.
3:58: Trailing 62-58, Day Day Thomas is called for a flagrant foul on a loose ball rebound attempts. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2, giving Utah two free throws and the ball. Fortunately for UC, Sharavjamts missed both free throws and UC converted a lob to Bandaogo at other end to cut the lead to 62-60.
2:51: Josh Reed makes two free throws to cap an 8-0 run over 1:27 to tie the score at 62.
1:30: Gabe Madsen makes a 15-foot jumper to put the Utes on top by 2 and is then fouled on the next Utah possession to extend the lead to four, 66-62 with
:09: Jizzle James makes all four free throw over :41 seconds to cut the Utah lead to 1. Gabe Madsen makes both free throws and Simas Lukosius misses a three with :05 seconds left to end the Bearcats hope of forcing overtime
Final score: Utah 69 Cincinnati 66
((Photo: AP Photo)
Final Thoughts:
This was a win Cincinnati needed, to keep any hope of making the NCAA Tournament alive. Dan Skillings finished 1-of-9 from the field, scoring four points, and pulled down just one rebound in 25 minutes. This team simply is not going to win games with their starters not producing at a higher level.
Jizzle James carried the team and looks to have gotten confidence in his shot back, but this team isn't built for one person to carry them.
At this point, it's hard to have any confidence that this team has what it takes to turn things around. The lack of consistency both at home and on the road leave a lot of unknowns with what to expect each game. The talent is there...the consistent effort, attitude, and mentality to be the most physical team on the court night in and night out simply isn't there.
There's still time to turn things around with 11 league games remaining, but time is running out after a three-game losing streak for the second time this month. The one positive is the team will get a much needed rest between now and their next game against West Virginia on Sunday.