TicketsCINCINNATI – Red-hot 70% second-half shooting led the Cincinnati men's basketball team to a 92-56 victory over West Virginia on Saturday in the regular season finale at Fifth Third Arena.
The two teams will meet again in the opening round of the Big 12 Championships on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET in Kansas City's T-Mobile Center.
Sixth-year senior John Newman III powered the Bearcats to victory on Senior Day, making his first five baskets of the second half en route to 14 points. Dan Skillings Jr. added 17 points, while Simas Lukosius scored 12 and Jamille Reynolds finished with 13 on perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
Day Day Thomas added seven assists, six rebounds and a career-high five steals for the Bearcats, who wrapped up the regular season with an 18-13 mark overall and a 7-11 record in Big 12 play.
As part of Senior Day, the Bearcats honored Newman, Ody Oguama and walk-on guards Landen Long and Chase Kirkwood before tipoff.
Cincinnati all-time great and former NBA No. 1 overall pick Kenyon Martin and former Cincinnati and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins were in attendance, while former Bearcat standout and NBA veteran DerMarr Johnson was on the WVU bench as an assistant coach.
The Bearcats started off the game red hot. After WVU post Jesse Edwards made a layup at 18:41, Cincinnati center Aziz Bandaogo's two-handed slam sparked a 9-0 run.
West Virginia answered back, and eventually tied the game 19-19 on a pair of free throws by guard Kob Johnson at 8:21.
However, Cincinnati used another 9-0 run to take back control. West Virginia was called for two technical fouls – one on Coach Josh Eilert and one on guard Kerr Kriisa. Lukosius made 3-of-4 technical free throws and freshman guard Jizzle James converted a second-chance layup to give UC a commanding 28-19 lead five minutes before halftime.
The Bearcats led by as many as 14 down the stretch of the first half, but the Mountaineers closed with seven straight points in end the first frame. UC led 36-29 at the break.
Cincinnati made five of its first seven field goal attempts to open the second half. Skillings Jr.'s 3-pointer 3:40 after halftime lifted UC to a 47-35 lead.
A triple and fastbreak layup from Skillings Jr. gave Cincinnati its largest lead in Big 12 play this season, 15 points, and put the host 'Cats in front, 50-35, with 14:46 left.
Back-to-back alley-oops finished by Reynolds pushed the Bearcats' lead to 66-47 with eight minutes to play. Reynolds buried a 3 from the top of the key with just over five minutes left to make the score 73-51.
A steal by Newman led to a pass to Skillings who lobbed up an alley-oop to Thomas in which the point guard finished it with a one-handed dunk to put Cincinnati up 77-51 with 3:40 left and provide the final exclamation point in the blowout victory. Landen Long and Chase Kirkwood, both walk-on seniors, scored their first UC points on a three-pointer and pair of free-throws, respectively.
FROM WES MILLER
"In league play, every game for us has come down to what feels like one possession, maybe two. That's just how this league is. It was great to have a night that you're able to push out a lead in the second half. That was good to see, and I believe we'll have a lot more nights like that in Cincinnati in the future. I was pleased mainly for our guys because they've had some brutal nights over the last eight or nine weeks. There were games where we felt like we could have won and should have won. It was great for them to have a night to be able to feel good down the stretch and to honor our seniors the right way. They deserved to have a night like that. I'm really pleased for our guys and pleased for our fans. I am very pleased with that kind of a lopsided victory down in the second half. West Virginia is one of the most gifted teams in the country. They've been through a ton this year, and they are in every game and beaten some really good teams. They've lost some one possession games themselves, and we might be facing them again here in a couple of days. They will be a heck of a lot better when we see him on a neutral floor in Kansas City. We have to regroup and figure out who we are playing and where we are playing. I believe we're going to play Tuesday against them from what I just looked at before I walked out here. We have to regroup and get ready to play a team that's already beat us this year and has been able to play with anybody when they are playing well."
JOHN NEWMAN III
"I'm not sure if I have the words to describe it, but there was love everywhere. I think I have a good vocabulary, but I don't have the words. It was pure joy to not feel like the mission isn't done, but that I came to this school for a reason in following Coach Wes. I wanted to leave a legacy here, and it was a special moment for me. I loved seeing my brothers in me, Ody, Chase, Landen and the managers (get the recognition). We've all been in it together."
The two teams will meet again in the opening round of the Big 12 Championships on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET in Kansas City's T-Mobile Center.
Sixth-year senior John Newman III powered the Bearcats to victory on Senior Day, making his first five baskets of the second half en route to 14 points. Dan Skillings Jr. added 17 points, while Simas Lukosius scored 12 and Jamille Reynolds finished with 13 on perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field.
Day Day Thomas added seven assists, six rebounds and a career-high five steals for the Bearcats, who wrapped up the regular season with an 18-13 mark overall and a 7-11 record in Big 12 play.
As part of Senior Day, the Bearcats honored Newman, Ody Oguama and walk-on guards Landen Long and Chase Kirkwood before tipoff.
Cincinnati all-time great and former NBA No. 1 overall pick Kenyon Martin and former Cincinnati and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins were in attendance, while former Bearcat standout and NBA veteran DerMarr Johnson was on the WVU bench as an assistant coach.
The Bearcats started off the game red hot. After WVU post Jesse Edwards made a layup at 18:41, Cincinnati center Aziz Bandaogo's two-handed slam sparked a 9-0 run.
West Virginia answered back, and eventually tied the game 19-19 on a pair of free throws by guard Kob Johnson at 8:21.
However, Cincinnati used another 9-0 run to take back control. West Virginia was called for two technical fouls – one on Coach Josh Eilert and one on guard Kerr Kriisa. Lukosius made 3-of-4 technical free throws and freshman guard Jizzle James converted a second-chance layup to give UC a commanding 28-19 lead five minutes before halftime.
The Bearcats led by as many as 14 down the stretch of the first half, but the Mountaineers closed with seven straight points in end the first frame. UC led 36-29 at the break.
Cincinnati made five of its first seven field goal attempts to open the second half. Skillings Jr.'s 3-pointer 3:40 after halftime lifted UC to a 47-35 lead.
A triple and fastbreak layup from Skillings Jr. gave Cincinnati its largest lead in Big 12 play this season, 15 points, and put the host 'Cats in front, 50-35, with 14:46 left.
Back-to-back alley-oops finished by Reynolds pushed the Bearcats' lead to 66-47 with eight minutes to play. Reynolds buried a 3 from the top of the key with just over five minutes left to make the score 73-51.
A steal by Newman led to a pass to Skillings who lobbed up an alley-oop to Thomas in which the point guard finished it with a one-handed dunk to put Cincinnati up 77-51 with 3:40 left and provide the final exclamation point in the blowout victory. Landen Long and Chase Kirkwood, both walk-on seniors, scored their first UC points on a three-pointer and pair of free-throws, respectively.
FROM WES MILLER
"In league play, every game for us has come down to what feels like one possession, maybe two. That's just how this league is. It was great to have a night that you're able to push out a lead in the second half. That was good to see, and I believe we'll have a lot more nights like that in Cincinnati in the future. I was pleased mainly for our guys because they've had some brutal nights over the last eight or nine weeks. There were games where we felt like we could have won and should have won. It was great for them to have a night to be able to feel good down the stretch and to honor our seniors the right way. They deserved to have a night like that. I'm really pleased for our guys and pleased for our fans. I am very pleased with that kind of a lopsided victory down in the second half. West Virginia is one of the most gifted teams in the country. They've been through a ton this year, and they are in every game and beaten some really good teams. They've lost some one possession games themselves, and we might be facing them again here in a couple of days. They will be a heck of a lot better when we see him on a neutral floor in Kansas City. We have to regroup and figure out who we are playing and where we are playing. I believe we're going to play Tuesday against them from what I just looked at before I walked out here. We have to regroup and get ready to play a team that's already beat us this year and has been able to play with anybody when they are playing well."
JOHN NEWMAN III
"I'm not sure if I have the words to describe it, but there was love everywhere. I think I have a good vocabulary, but I don't have the words. It was pure joy to not feel like the mission isn't done, but that I came to this school for a reason in following Coach Wes. I wanted to leave a legacy here, and it was a special moment for me. I loved seeing my brothers in me, Ody, Chase, Landen and the managers (get the recognition). We've all been in it together."