TicketsMORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Cincinnati men’s basketball team came up just short in its first Big 12 road test of the season, as West Virginia closed the final two minutes on a decisive 10-3 run to secure a 62-60 victory Tuesday night inside Hope Coliseum.
The Bearcats slipped to 8-7 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play, while the Mountaineers improved to 10-5 and 1-1 in conference action.
Fueled by three triples, two from Jalen Celestine, Cincinnati rattled off an 11-0 run, its largest of the game, to reclaim the lead, 57-52, with 4:46 remaining.
West Virginia answered late. Tre Eaglestaff drilled a tough turnaround three from the corner just before the shot clock expired, forcing the Bearcats into a timeout with 1:12 to play as they trailed, 58-57. Out of the break, the Mountaineers converted four free throws to push the lead to 62-57 with 11 seconds remaining.
Junior guard Jizzle James kept things close in the closing seconds, burying a three with three seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 62-60. Following a West Virginia timeout, the Mountaineers attempted to inbound from under the Bearcats’ basket, but James intercepted the pass and launched a potential game-winning three at the buzzer. The attempt came up strong off the backboard, allowing West Virginia to escape.
Cincinnati struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm against the Mountaineers’ pressure, shooting 35% (22-of-62) from the field and 34% (12-of-35) from beyond the arc. West Virginia connected at a higher clip, shooting 46% (22-of-48) overall and 48% (11-of-23) from three.
Despite the shooting disparity, UC made its mark defensively, forcing 15 Mountaineer turnovers that led to 18 points. Cincinnati also held a 16-4 edge in fastbreak points and committed just eight turnovers.
Celestine paced the Bearcats with 15 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Baba Miller dished out a team-high six assists. West Virginia was led by Honor Huff, who poured in 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep, including 16 in the first half.
West Virginia opened the game hot, hitting six of its first eight shots and using a 7-0 spurt to take a 17-6 lead at the 13:02 mark. Huff later buried his third straight three to extend the margin to 22-11 with 9:40 remaining.
Cincinnati responded with eight unanswered points, capped by a Celestine triple, trimming the deficit to 22-19. The Bearcats weathered a strong shooting half from the Mountaineers, who went 11-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-11 from deep, to trail just 31-28 at halftime.
Huff’s scorching start saw him make his first five shots, including four threes, before UC tightened defensively, holding him scoreless on his final four attempts of the half.
Cincinnati endured its own cold shooting in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 34.4% from the field and 20% (3-of-15) from three, but stayed within striking distance thanks to a balanced effort. Sencire Harris and Celestine scored six apiece, while UC held advantages in points in the paint (14-6), second-chance points (6-0) and fastbreak points (6-0).
The Bearcats came out firing after the break, as Day Day Thomas knocked down back-to-back threes to give Cincinnati its first lead, 34-31. West Virginia quickly countered with a 10-2 run to retake control, 41-36, with 15:22 remaining.
Later, with the shot clock winding down, Celestine connected on a contested three. Abaev and Tillery followed with triples of their own, as Cincinnati drained three consecutive shots from long range to even the score at 45 with 11:17 left, setting the stage for a tightly-contested finish.
Cincinnati heads to Orlando next to face No. 25 UCF at 5 p.m. Sunday.