TicketsTUCSON, Ariz. — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team fell, 77-51, to the nation’s top-ranked team, Arizona, Wednesday night inside the McKale Center.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Arizona holding a narrow 33-27 lead at the break, but the Wildcats took control of the contest with a decisive run midway through the second half.
Starting at the 14:58 mark of the second period, Cincinnati went cold, going 1-of-12 from the field and failing to score for nearly six minutes. A Jizzle James layup halted the drought, but Arizona remained firmly in control, holding a 58-46 edge at the 5:56 mark. The Bearcats were unable to build momentum, as the Wildcats followed with another 11-0 surge, extending their run to 17-2 and ballooning the lead to 69-46 with just under three minutes remaining in the contest on their way to a dominant victory.
Senior forward Baba Miller tallied a team-high 14 points and six rebounds for the Bearcats, while freshman guard Shon Abaev found his scoring rhythm, finishing with 13 points to reach double figures for the eighth time this season and his first in Big 12 play.
Motiejus Krivas led Arizona’s attack with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting while adding nine rebounds. Brayden Burries recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Neither team shot efficiently, as both finished below 45% from the field. Cincinnati struggled more significantly, shooting just 30%, while Arizona connected at a 43% clip. Both teams also shot under 25% from beyond the arc in what developed into a defensive battle.
Arizona ultimately pulled away by holding decisive advantages in several key areas. The Wildcats dominated points in the paint, 48-14, and points off turnovers, 17-1. Arizona also went 20-of-28 at the free-throw line, compared to Cincinnati’s 13-of-14. The Bearcats held the lone edge in bench points, 25-13.
Arizona jumped out to an early 13-4 lead in the first four minutes, converting three Bearcats turnovers into five points. After the teams exchanged baskets, Cincinnati answered with a 6-0 spurt, highlighted by a Abaev 3-pointer with 12:14 remaining.
With Arizona ahead 16-14, Abaev was fouled on a 3-point attempt and converted all three free throws before knocking down a wing three on the next possession to give Cincinnati a 20-16 lead at the 9:06 mark. Krivas answered with consecutive baskets to tie the game at 20 apiece with 8:05 remaining.
Arizona then clamped down defensively, holding Cincinnati to two made field goals over its final 12 attempts of the half while forcing 10 turnovers, taking a 33-27 advantage into the break.
Abaev led the Bearcats with nine first-half points, while Krivas paced Arizona with eight.
Following back-to-back buckets out of the halftime locker room by the Bearcats, Arizona responded with a swift 5-0 run to push its lead to 38-31. Cincinnati briefly closed the gap when Jalen Celestine knocked down a contested three at the 14:58 mark, trimming the Wildcats’ advantage to 38-36.
Arizona answered immediately, as Krivas converted a jumper to ignite an 8-0 run, capped by a Tobe Awaka layup, stretching the lead to 48-38 with 11:52 remaining.
From there, the Wildcats’ lead was never threatened as they put the finishing touches on a 26-point victory.
Up next, Cincinnati travels to Tempe for a 10 p.m. ET Saturday tip against Arizona State.