TicketsCINCINNATI — Led by 17 points from redshirt senior forward Baba Miller, five Bearcats scored in double figures to power the Cincinnati men’s basketball team to a 92-72 victory over UCF Sunday at Fifth Third Arena.
Miller added nine rebounds, and his monster dunk in the final minute gave him 1,000 points for his college basketball career.
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The Bearcats improved to 12-12 overall and 4-7 in the Big 12. UCF dropped to 17-6 and 6-5 in league play.
Cincinnati scored nine straight points to open the second half and led by 21 with 18 minutes left. UCF cut the lead to six with just under 10 minutes remaining, but the Bearcats answered with a 19-3 run en route to the victory.
Joining Miller in double figures were junior guard Jizzle James (15 points), sophomore center Moustapha Thiam (15), redshirt senior forward Jalen Celestine (14) and senior guard Day Day Thomas (11).
The Bearcats shot a season-high 61% from behind the arc and 59% overall for the game. Celestine was 3-for-3 from 3-point range, while James connected on 3-of-5 from deep.
Cincinnati led for all but one minute of the first half. A jumper by UCF’s Jamichael Stillwell tied the game at 26-26, but redshirt junior guard Sencire Harris buried a corner three to answer with five minutes left before the break. A Miller free throw and a fastbreak dunk by Thiam sparked a 14-2 run.
Freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery intercepted a pass and finished with a layup to extend the lead to 34-26. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Celestine gave the Bearcats a commanding 40-28 advantage at halftime.
Cincinnati saw nine different players score in the first half.
After the Bearcats took a 49-28 lead early in the second half, the Knights fought back. UCF made three straight 3-pointers as part of an 11-0 run midway through the final frame. Consecutive triples from UCF guard George Beale Jr. cut Cincinnati’s lead to six with 9:33 left.
However, the Bearcats answered with a quick jumper from Thiam and a 3-pointer and two free throws by James to put UC back in front by 13 with 7:58 remaining. An alley-oop slam by Thiam and another 3-pointer from James pushed the lead back to 16, and a three-point play by Celestine extended the advantage to 19.
A transition 3-pointer by Thomas put Cincinnati in front 81-59 and capped the decisive 19-3 run after UCF had cut the deficit to six.
Cincinnati hits the road to take on Kansas State at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.