Bearcats Roar: A Dominant 84-49 Victory Over Grambling!

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball squad welcomed Grambling State on Sunday for its last non-conference clash of the season, securing an 84-49 triumph.
 
With this victory, Cincinnati enhances its record to 10-1 for the season, representing its most successful non-conference record since 2012-13.
 
The Bearcats delighted the spectators at Fifth Third Arena with yet another impressive performance prior to their eight-day holiday intermission. Three athletes achieved double digits in scoring, including Aziz Bandaogo, who spearheaded the effort with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Joining him in double figures were Dillon Mitchell (13) and Day Day Thomas (12). For Thomas, this marked his first double-digit scoring game of the season, with all 12 of his points coming post-halftime.
 
Arrinten Page and Tyler Betsey narrowly missed out on reaching double digits, each scoring nine points.
 
Cincinnati’s performance around the hoop played a crucial role in establishing their commanding lead. Forty of their 84 points were scored in the paint, and their 18 offensive rebounds set a season record. Bandaogo’s five offensive boards topped all players.
 
The Bearcats came out strong on Sunday, with Mitchell’s dunk triggering an 11-2 run less than a minute into the contest. Rim-shaking dunks constituted Cincinnati’s primary means of scoring in the initial five minutes, with 10 of their 11 points coming from dunks by Mitchell and Bandaogo.
 
UC maintained their momentum, leading 23-5 by the halfway point of the first period. Back-to-back three-pointers from Betsey, the latter hitting with 7:35 remaining in the half, amplified the score to 29-9.
 
Grambling rallied in the final minutes of the opening half, netting 11 of the last 13 points, yet Cincinnati still clung to a 37-24 lead at the intermission. Bandaogo accounted for 10 first-half points to lead the charge.
 
The Cincinnati advantage kept increasing during the second half. Three consecutive three-pointers from Simas Lukosius, Jizzle James, and Dan Skillings extended the score to 50-29, followed by another dunk from Mitchell.
 
The lead swelled into the thirties for the first time around the midpoint of the second half. Thomas scored 63-35 with an acrobatic fast break layup, shortly after which James delivered a perfect pass to Skillings for an alley-oop that brought the score to 65-35 with 9:51 left.
 
The margin ballooned to a peak of 37 points late in the fourth quarter when Halvine Dzellat converted a couple of free throws with 1:17 remaining.

FROM WES MILLER

Evaluation of team through non-conference games 

“Listen, we handled our responsibilities in non-conference play. We aimed to achieve that and ensure that we performed well in our non-conference games. We sought to position ourselves for league play and become a competitive team. I believe we have accomplished that, and we’ve ticked that box. Was it flawless? No, it wasn’t flawless. We still have significant room for enhancement, but upon reflecting on non-conference play, I am satisfied and believe that we did our duty. We will utilize the next two or three days as a staff to recharge and evaluate situations, and we will conduct a couple of practice sessions when we reconvene on the 26th to adjust and make necessary modifications as we head into conference play.” 

 

On avenues of advancement from the first game to now 

“I felt that this week we appeared more organic in our defensive strategies. So, I can understand why Dillon [Mitchell] would articulate that, or why our players would perceive it this way. I think we have made strides in numerous areas, and we must continue to do so. We need to keep evolving and enhancing. We have not completed our journey in any aspect. I am not satisfied with any area, but I do believe this team has consistently developed and progressed. I believe I mentioned this recently, but whenever we’ve had an opportunity to take a step back over any timeframe, we’ve improved during that timeframe. That doesn’t imply it has been a straightforward path. We’ve experienced fluctuations and perhaps taken two steps forward and one step back, but I think this group has been engaged in that manner from summer until now. We have been a team that has continually advanced over time, and we must persist in being that team when we return from Christmas.” 

 

UP NEXT

Cincinnati will journey to Manhattan, Kan. to commence Big 12 Conference play at Kansas State on Monday, Dec. 30. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.