TicketsCINCINNATI – The Cincinnati men's basketball team fell to No. 6/9-ranked Houston, 80-58, on Sunday at Fifth Third Arena.
Senior guard David DeJulius scored 25 points to lead all scorers, but the Bearcats shot just 34% from the floor.
Cincinnati fell to 15-7 on the season and 5-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Houston improved to 20-2 and 9-0 in the AAC.
Houston shot 53% from the field and held a 38-26 advantage on the glass.
The Bearcats trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, but 18 points from DeJulius before the break kept UC in the game.
Trailing 40-19, Cincinnati closed the first half on a 12-2 run as DeJulius made a second-chance three-pointer and a contested jumper during the run and he found sophomore forward Viktor Lakhin for a corner three-pointer to cut the deficit to 11 and electrified the nearly-sold-out crowd 30 seconds before the break.
Junior wing Jeremiah Davenport's three-pointer 20 seconds into the second half cut Houston's lead to 42-34.
Houston's Fabian White, Jr. answered with a three-pointer of his own to give the Cougars back a double-digit lead.
Houston kept its foot on the gas throughout the second half.
A pair of free throws from senior Abdul Ado cut the Bearcats' deficit to 13, but the Cougars responded with six straight points to take a 63-44 lead with 9:55 remaining on a jumper from Jamal Shead.
NOTABLE
Cincinnati travels to Tampa, Fla., for a matchup at USF on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ESPN+).
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY
Limited single-game tickets are available as the Bearcats continue their season. You can get yours today here or by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX. Other questions can be directed to uc.tickets@uc.edu.
Senior guard David DeJulius scored 25 points to lead all scorers, but the Bearcats shot just 34% from the floor.
Cincinnati fell to 15-7 on the season and 5-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Houston improved to 20-2 and 9-0 in the AAC.
Houston shot 53% from the field and held a 38-26 advantage on the glass.
The Bearcats trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, but 18 points from DeJulius before the break kept UC in the game.
Trailing 40-19, Cincinnati closed the first half on a 12-2 run as DeJulius made a second-chance three-pointer and a contested jumper during the run and he found sophomore forward Viktor Lakhin for a corner three-pointer to cut the deficit to 11 and electrified the nearly-sold-out crowd 30 seconds before the break.
Junior wing Jeremiah Davenport's three-pointer 20 seconds into the second half cut Houston's lead to 42-34.
Houston's Fabian White, Jr. answered with a three-pointer of his own to give the Cougars back a double-digit lead.
Houston kept its foot on the gas throughout the second half.
A pair of free throws from senior Abdul Ado cut the Bearcats' deficit to 13, but the Cougars responded with six straight points to take a 63-44 lead with 9:55 remaining on a jumper from Jamal Shead.
NOTABLE
- Cincinnati maintains a 33-9 all-time series lead.
- David DeJulius' 25 points were a season-high as well as one off a career-best (26 at Temple, Feb. 4, 2021).
- It was also his 15th game in double-figures this year and sixth with 20-plus.
- DeJulius' 12-for-12 showing at the foul line marked the 13th time in school history a Bearcat was perfect on 10 or more attempts, with Sean Kilpatrick last accomplishing the feat in 2013-14 against Louisville.
- Mike Saunders Jr. had a team-high four assists, his 11th time with three or more this season.
- Viktor Lakhin's triple was the first of his career.
- Super Bowl-bound Bengals running back Joe Mixon sat courtside.
Cincinnati travels to Tampa, Fla., for a matchup at USF on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ESPN+).
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY
Limited single-game tickets are available as the Bearcats continue their season. You can get yours today here or by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX. Other questions can be directed to uc.tickets@uc.edu.