TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati men's basketball team will seek its third-straight, season-opening win Sunday afternoon when it hosts EKU at 12 p.m.
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David DeJulius' 18 points and Viktor Lakhin's second-career double-double (career-highs of 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks) helped Cincinnati overcome stingy Cleveland State for a 69-58 win on Thursday night. It was DeJulius' second-straight game leading UC in scoring, following his game-high 24 against Chaminade. His six assists came on the heels of Rob Phinisee matching a career-high eight against Chaminade. Lakhin's other prior top blocking performances came against Georgia and top-15 Arkansas last year with two apiece.
The Bearcats' newly-implemented, backcourt pressure defense has allowed them to build a 51-2 advantage in fastbreak points on the young season, including a pair of 10-second violations in the season opener. Also on the offensive end, Lakhin has begun the season 9-for-10 from the field while UC has earned 22 free-throw attempts in each game this season, something it did eight times out of 33 games last season.
Cincinnati also found a way to win without John Newman III, whose only absence in his two years at UC was a two-point home loss to Monmouth last year. As head coach Wes Miller said postgame, with nearly 10 guys playing double-figure minutes, reserves need to step up with the identity of their defense (Newman) absent. Jarrett Hensley matched his UC-high of seven points off the bench, playing 16 minutes as well. Jeremiah Davenport also provided a second-half spark on defense with a save out-of-bounds, followed by an emphatic block in the paint. UC is 13-1 under Wes Miller when holding its foe to 59 or fewer points.
ESPN+ | Listen (700 WLW) | Live Stats | Tickets
David DeJulius' 18 points and Viktor Lakhin's second-career double-double (career-highs of 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks) helped Cincinnati overcome stingy Cleveland State for a 69-58 win on Thursday night. It was DeJulius' second-straight game leading UC in scoring, following his game-high 24 against Chaminade. His six assists came on the heels of Rob Phinisee matching a career-high eight against Chaminade. Lakhin's other prior top blocking performances came against Georgia and top-15 Arkansas last year with two apiece.
The Bearcats' newly-implemented, backcourt pressure defense has allowed them to build a 51-2 advantage in fastbreak points on the young season, including a pair of 10-second violations in the season opener. Also on the offensive end, Lakhin has begun the season 9-for-10 from the field while UC has earned 22 free-throw attempts in each game this season, something it did eight times out of 33 games last season.
Cincinnati also found a way to win without John Newman III, whose only absence in his two years at UC was a two-point home loss to Monmouth last year. As head coach Wes Miller said postgame, with nearly 10 guys playing double-figure minutes, reserves need to step up with the identity of their defense (Newman) absent. Jarrett Hensley matched his UC-high of seven points off the bench, playing 16 minutes as well. Jeremiah Davenport also provided a second-half spark on defense with a save out-of-bounds, followed by an emphatic block in the paint. UC is 13-1 under Wes Miller when holding its foe to 59 or fewer points.
14 points (career high), 12 rebounds (career high), and 3 blocks (career high).
— Cincinnati Men's Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) November 11, 2022
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