TicketsCINCINNATI — Senior guard Myles Colvin displayed his elite shot-making ability during a 31-point outing as the Cincinnati men’s basketball team defeated Green Bay 81-64 Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena, improving to 2-0 on the season.
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Cincinnati led comfortably for most of the game and put it away with a 12-0 run in the second half. A Riley Allenspach dunk off a Tylen Riley assist sparked the burst, and an MJ Collins Jr. 3-pointer capped it as the Bearcats forced five Green Bay turnovers in a two-minute span. The run stretched the lead to 67-46 with 8:11 to play.
“I thought Green Bay was very well coached,” head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “I’ve grown to really like Coach [Doug] Gottlieb. I thought he was crazy for getting into this business and giving up what he had, but his team has made great strides and they’re in good hands. I’m really proud of our effort. I thought we had a lot of guys step up tonight and it’s early in the season, so we got to keep getting better.”
Colvin tied his career high with seven 3-pointers, going 7-for-12 from long range. The Indianapolis native also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go with two blocks and a steal.
Three other Bearcats scored in double figures: Amani Lyles had 14 points (7-of-10 shooting), and Collins Jr. and Eric Mahaffey added 11 each. Collins Jr. also dished six assists. David Iweze was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line and finished a game-best plus-20.
Orlando Lovejoy tallied 16 points for Green Bay.
The Bearcats forced 21 turnovers, which they converted into 23 points. They also outscored Green Bay 36-26 in the paint and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
Both teams shot 32% from 3-point range, with Green Bay going 7-of-22 and Cincinnati 10-of-31, but Colvin accounted for seven of the Bearcats’ 10 makes.
Colvin came out scorching, drilling his third 3-pointer of the game to put the Bearcats up 12-9. On the next possession, Trevian Carson brought the Fifth Third Arena crowd to its feet, stripping Green Bay’s Aidan Hadaway and racing the length of the floor for a one-handed slam that made it 14-10 with 13:27 left in the first half.
Mahaffey attacked the rim, scoring six straight points for the Bearcats, including a pair of dunks, to stretch the lead to 25-20. Colvin kept his hot hand going, hitting his fourth 3-pointer in as many attempts while being fouled and converting the free throw for a four-point play that made it 29-22 Cincinnati with 5:24 on the clock.
The Bearcats stretched their lead to 38-28 with 2:33 left in the half on a Mahaffey 3-pointer and a pair of Colvin free throws, then took a 40-32 advantage into the break.
Colvin led all scorers with 18 first-half points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Lovejoy paced Green Bay with nine. The Bearcats forced 10 turnovers while committing just two. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Green Bay going 2-of-10 (20%) and Cincinnati 5-of-17 (29%).
Powered by five Iweze free throws, the Bearcats used a 9-2 run early in the second half to go in front 50-39 with 15:29 left. The 12-0 burst later pushed the lead to 67-46, and Cincinnati cruised from there, closing out the 17-point victory.
The Bearcats are back in Fifth Third Arena at 7 p.m. on Monday as they are set to take on Minnesota.