Cincinnati Bearcats Secure Victory Over UCF Knights
In a decisive victory, the Cincinnati Bearcats triumphed over the UCF Knights with a final score of 92-72 on Sunday. The standout for Cincinnati, Baba Miller, contributed significantly with a stellar performance, racking up 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Alongside him, Jizzle James impressed in the second half, scoring 11 of his total 15 points, while Moustapha Thiam and Jalen Celestine each added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Day Day Thomas rounded off the scoring for the Bearcats with 11 points.
Offensive Surge
Cincinnati, which had been struggling offensively with a season shooting percentage of 41.7%—the lowest in the Big 12 and ranked 327th nationwide—surged to a remarkable 59% shooting efficiency (33 of 56) in this matchup. This marked just their third occasion of the season scoring over 90 points.
UCF’s Struggles
The Knights had notable contributions from Chris Johnson and Jordan Burks, who both scored 16 points. Jamichael Stillwell nearly secured a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, complemented by Riley Kugel with 10 points. However, UCF faced a challenging first half where they managed to score only once in their last 11 attempts, resulting in a scoring drought of over three minutes as Cincinnati capitalized, finishing the half strongly with 40-28.
Second Half Highlights
Cincinnati began the second half with momentum, launching a 9-0 run that extended their lead to 49-28 early in the period. UCF attempted a comeback with a 20-6 run, narrowing the gap to 62-56 with 9:33 remaining, sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from George Beale Jr.. Yet, Cincinnati quickly responded, with Thiam adding a jumper, James draining a three-pointer, along with Thiam’s powerful dunk to widen the lead back to 15 points.
Upcoming Matches
Next up, UCF will host a matchup against West Virginia on Saturday, while Cincinnati gears up to face Kansas State on Wednesday. Stay tuned for ongoing updates and alerts related to the AP Top 25 rankings throughout the basketball season.
