TicketsKANSAS CITY – The 11th-seeded Cincinnati men's basketball team fell to No. 3 seed Baylor, 68-56, on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships at T-Mobile Arena.
The Bearcats had won back-to-back games in successive days while the Bears, ranked No. 14 nationally, were playing their first game in the tournament due to a double-bye.
Dan Skillings Jr. scored 15 points and tallied four steals, while John Newman III (12 points) and Jiizzle James (12 points) also reached double figures.
Cincinnati led 26-24 at halftime thanks to stifling defense that held Baylor to 25% shooting (6-of-24) before the break. The Bears shot 52% in the second half and held a 39-27 edge on the boards for the game.
However, the Bears stayed close by holding a 20-16 edge on the glass at the end of the first half.
Baylor made eight of its first 12 shots after the break. Ja'Kobe Walker's 3-pointer gave the Bears a 42-33 lead and RayJ Dennis made a jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to cap a 12-2 run to put Baylor in front 47-33.
Trailing by 14, the Bearcats fought to the finish and cut their deficit to 4.
A 10-0 run that was capped by a corner 3 from Newman brought UC within striking distance, 47-43, with nine minutes left.
The Bearcats remained close cutting it down to 4 again on a jumper by James with 4:30 left, but a 3-pointer from Walter after gave Baylor a 58-51 lead with four minutes remaining. Dennis' layup with 3:21 left put the Bears up 9.
A teardrop 3-pointer from Simas Lukosius gave Cincinnati life with three minutes left, cutting the Bearcats' deficit to six.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 10-1 lead to start the game with Skillings setting the pace, keeping the momentum rolling after scoring 25 in the win over Kansas on Wednesday night.
Baylor fought back and took the lead, 15-14, on a 3-pointer by Jayden Nunn. The two teams battled, trading baskets until halftime.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati will find out Sunday what postseason tournament (NCAA Tournament or NIT) it will play in next week.
The Bearcats had won back-to-back games in successive days while the Bears, ranked No. 14 nationally, were playing their first game in the tournament due to a double-bye.
Dan Skillings Jr. scored 15 points and tallied four steals, while John Newman III (12 points) and Jiizzle James (12 points) also reached double figures.
Cincinnati led 26-24 at halftime thanks to stifling defense that held Baylor to 25% shooting (6-of-24) before the break. The Bears shot 52% in the second half and held a 39-27 edge on the boards for the game.
However, the Bears stayed close by holding a 20-16 edge on the glass at the end of the first half.
Baylor made eight of its first 12 shots after the break. Ja'Kobe Walker's 3-pointer gave the Bears a 42-33 lead and RayJ Dennis made a jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to cap a 12-2 run to put Baylor in front 47-33.
Trailing by 14, the Bearcats fought to the finish and cut their deficit to 4.
A 10-0 run that was capped by a corner 3 from Newman brought UC within striking distance, 47-43, with nine minutes left.
The Bearcats remained close cutting it down to 4 again on a jumper by James with 4:30 left, but a 3-pointer from Walter after gave Baylor a 58-51 lead with four minutes remaining. Dennis' layup with 3:21 left put the Bears up 9.
A teardrop 3-pointer from Simas Lukosius gave Cincinnati life with three minutes left, cutting the Bearcats' deficit to six.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 10-1 lead to start the game with Skillings setting the pace, keeping the momentum rolling after scoring 25 in the win over Kansas on Wednesday night.
Baylor fought back and took the lead, 15-14, on a 3-pointer by Jayden Nunn. The two teams battled, trading baskets until halftime.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati will find out Sunday what postseason tournament (NCAA Tournament or NIT) it will play in next week.