TicketsORLANDO, Fla. — Cincinnati shot 58.5 percent, which included 56 points in the paint, and four Bearcats scored 15 or more points in a 93-83 victory over UCF on Wednesday night.
Day Day Thomas hit his season-high of 18 points at the half, going 8-for-11 that included a tip-in of his own miss less than a second before the buzzer. UC led 40-36. He also had three of the team's six assists at that point, ending with a season-high six.
Dillon Mitchell's 19 points and Aziz Bandaogo's 16 were also season-highs, and Jizzle James added 15 (including seven-straight over a two-minute stretch late). Mitchell and James both boasted strong contingents as the Tampa and Orlando natives returned home.
Sixteen of Cincinnati's first 18 points were in the paint, capped by a long-distance Thomas to Dillon Mitchell alley-oop, then Mitchell bouncing a pass in transition to Thomas for a reverse alley-oop. The consecutive buckets gave UC an 18-15 lead, its first of the game, at 10:26.
After Bandaogo lofted a one-handed jumper in the paint and made the foul shot, Simas Lukosius tipped the in-bounds pass and forced the turnover. UC cashed in on a short Mitchell shot for a 50-42 lead.
Tyler Betsey's second trey over a 1:50 span gave the Bearcats a 58-53 cushion at 12:45.
Mitchell's tip-in off a missed 3-pointer extended the lead to 66-57, UC's largest of the night, with 9:28 remaining. The Knights pulled within six several times the rest of the way, but Cincinnati stretched its lead to double-digits at 8:40 and again at 1:44 to put it away.
FROM WES MILLER
"I thought Day Day set a tone for us tonight making confident plays and having belief in himself. He looked like the guy we've seen for a long time, whether it was AAU in COVID on a computer screen when I first saw him, or at Kilgore Junior College. He looked like himself tonight, and that loosened everyone else up. It was a needed win, and it was good seeing our guys play with confidence.
On the team's approach
"I think they did a good job resetting this week. I think sometimes people can perceive what they watch in a game in different ways. The thing I've noticed is we've been carrying too much on our shoulders, whether it's pressure individually, as a team or wanting it too bad.
On what allowed for the 56 paint points
"I thought whether it was ball-screen action or runner action or transition, I thought our guys were aggressive with the basketball. We got transition opportunities, and Day Day threw one away to Aziz that wasn't there, but we didn't let that affect the next possession. We've done a lot of the opposite recently."
NOTABLE
-Bandaogo's 16 points were his most in a Big 12 game, previously 13 at UCF last year.
-Cincinnati is 7-1 this year, and 13-2 overall, when Bandaogo scores in double-figures.
-Former Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins was in attendance and visited with the team pregame.
-Cincinnati has won five-straight over UCF, with three of those on the road.
-Head coach Wes Miller, a former national champion player at North Carolina, has won his last eight games against Duke alumni.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati begins a two-game homestand Saturday night against BYU at 6 p.m.
Day Day Thomas hit his season-high of 18 points at the half, going 8-for-11 that included a tip-in of his own miss less than a second before the buzzer. UC led 40-36. He also had three of the team's six assists at that point, ending with a season-high six.
Dillon Mitchell's 19 points and Aziz Bandaogo's 16 were also season-highs, and Jizzle James added 15 (including seven-straight over a two-minute stretch late). Mitchell and James both boasted strong contingents as the Tampa and Orlando natives returned home.
Sixteen of Cincinnati's first 18 points were in the paint, capped by a long-distance Thomas to Dillon Mitchell alley-oop, then Mitchell bouncing a pass in transition to Thomas for a reverse alley-oop. The consecutive buckets gave UC an 18-15 lead, its first of the game, at 10:26.
After Bandaogo lofted a one-handed jumper in the paint and made the foul shot, Simas Lukosius tipped the in-bounds pass and forced the turnover. UC cashed in on a short Mitchell shot for a 50-42 lead.
Tyler Betsey's second trey over a 1:50 span gave the Bearcats a 58-53 cushion at 12:45.
Mitchell's tip-in off a missed 3-pointer extended the lead to 66-57, UC's largest of the night, with 9:28 remaining. The Knights pulled within six several times the rest of the way, but Cincinnati stretched its lead to double-digits at 8:40 and again at 1:44 to put it away.
FROM WES MILLER
"I thought Day Day set a tone for us tonight making confident plays and having belief in himself. He looked like the guy we've seen for a long time, whether it was AAU in COVID on a computer screen when I first saw him, or at Kilgore Junior College. He looked like himself tonight, and that loosened everyone else up. It was a needed win, and it was good seeing our guys play with confidence.
On the team's approach
"I think they did a good job resetting this week. I think sometimes people can perceive what they watch in a game in different ways. The thing I've noticed is we've been carrying too much on our shoulders, whether it's pressure individually, as a team or wanting it too bad.
On what allowed for the 56 paint points
"I thought whether it was ball-screen action or runner action or transition, I thought our guys were aggressive with the basketball. We got transition opportunities, and Day Day threw one away to Aziz that wasn't there, but we didn't let that affect the next possession. We've done a lot of the opposite recently."
NOTABLE
-Bandaogo's 16 points were his most in a Big 12 game, previously 13 at UCF last year.
-Cincinnati is 7-1 this year, and 13-2 overall, when Bandaogo scores in double-figures.
-Former Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins was in attendance and visited with the team pregame.
-Cincinnati has won five-straight over UCF, with three of those on the road.
-Head coach Wes Miller, a former national champion player at North Carolina, has won his last eight games against Duke alumni.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati begins a two-game homestand Saturday night against BYU at 6 p.m.