TicketsCINCINNATI — The Cincinnati men’s basketball team came up just short in a tightly-contested matchup, falling to No. 8 Houston, 67-60, Saturday afternoon inside Fifth Third Arena. The game remained in doubt until the final minutes before the Cougars pulled away late.
The contest was knotted at 60 apiece with 3:52 remaining after sophomore center Moustapha Thiam threw down a powerful dunk over Joseph Tugler, igniting the Fifth Third Arena crowd. Moments later, Houston’s Milos Uzan silenced the arena, drilling his fourth three-pointer of the half to give the Cougars a 63-60 edge with 2:48 left.
Cincinnati was forced into a timeout with 54 seconds remaining after a Tugler putback dunk extended Houston’s lead to 65-60. Emanuel Sharp sealed the outcome at the free-throw line, converting consecutive attempts to close out the Cougars’ 67-60 victory.
It was a back-and-forth battle throughout all 40 minutes, highlighted by a second-half showdown between Thiam and Uzan. Thiam was perfect in the period, converting all six of his shot attempts to score all 13 of his points after halftime. Uzan countered with a sharpshooting display, knocking down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and scoring 16 of his 18 points in the second half.
Three Bearcats finished in double figures, led by graduate guard Day Day Thomas, who tallied 15 points and four assists. Senior forward Baba Miller added 11 points and eight rebounds. Houston was paced by Kingston Flemings, who poured in a game-high 19 points.
Cincinnati opened the second half with five quick points from Thiam to stretch its lead to double digits. However, Uzan answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Bearcats’ advantage to 40-36 at the first media timeout with 15:54 remaining.
Thiam continued to assert himself offensively, converting consecutive baskets to push UC’s lead to 49-46. At the 6:16 mark, Uzan’s third triple of the half sparked a 7-0 Houston run, allowing the Cougars to regain control at 60-55.
Both teams shot under 45 percent from the field for the game, with Cincinnati shooting 43% (21-of-49) and Houston 41% (26-of-63). Houston capitalized on Cincinnati’s 15 turnovers, turning them into 18 points, while the Bearcats converted 10 points off eight Cougar miscues. The rebounding margin favored Houston, 34-30, including a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass.
The opening minutes were marked by offensive struggles, as the teams combined to shoot just 3-of-23 from the field by the second media timeout. Bench 3-pointers from senior wing Jalen Celestine and senior guard Kerr Kriisa helped Cincinnati build a 16-8 lead at the 8:10 mark of the first half.
A free throw by Miller capped a 9-0 UC run, but Houston responded with 10 straight points to take an 18-17 lead with 5:48 remaining before halftime.
Thomas took over down the stretch of the first half, scoring Cincinnati’s final 12 points before the break — including a personal 10-0 run. The senior guard connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by an acrobatic layup and a pair of free throws. He capped the surge with a contested pull-up jumper just before halftime, giving the Bearcats a 33–28 advantage at the break.
The halftime deficit marked Houston’s first since trailing Duke 34-28 in the 2025 NCAA Championship National Semifinals.
Both teams struggled offensively in the opening half, with Cincinnati shooting 37% (10-of-27) from the floor while converting 45% (5-of-11) from three-point range. Houston shot 35% (11-of-31) overall and just 17% (2-of-12) from beyond the arc. The Cougars held a 7-2 edge in fast-break points, while Cincinnati owned the free-throw line, converting 8-of-10 attempts compared to Houston’s 4-of-4.
Cincinnati returns to action Tuesday night, traveling to West Virginia for a 7 p.m. tip.