Cincinnati tops UCF to end four-game skid

Field Level Media|published: Wed 5th February, 21:52 2025

NCAA Basketball: Cincinnati at Central Florida

Feb 5, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Day Day Thomas (1) goes to the basket during the first half against the UCF Knights at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Day Day Thomas scored 18 of his season-high 20 points in the first half, Dillon Mitchell added a season-high 19 points and Cincinnati stopped a four-game losing streak with a 93-83 victory over UCF on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.

Making his second consecutive start, Thomas made nine field goals (on 15 attempts) to come within one of tying his career high. He also had six assists, three rebounds and one turnover as Cincinnati (13-9, 3-8 Big 12) earned its first Quad 1 win of the season.

Mitchell left with 9:06 remaining in the second half when his knee buckled on a breakaway layup attempt. He returned at the 6:18 mark, finishing with six rebounds and three assists to complete a solid all-around performance at the rim.

Aziz Bandaogo contributed 16 points -- one shy of his season high -- on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed six rebounds for Cincinnati, which posted its highest point total since an 84-49 win over Grambling State on Dec. 22. The Bearcats shot 58.5 percent from the field (38-of-65) en route to their fifth straight win in the series.

Jizzle James overcame foul trouble to score 15 points, including seven down the stretch after UCF (13-9, 4-7) cut its deficit to 81-75 with 3:34 remaining. Tyler Betsey and Dan Skillings Jr. each contributed eight points off the bench for Cincinnati.

Keyshawn Hall, who entered the game leading the Big 12 in scoring during conference play at 21.3 points per game, had 23 points, seven rebounds and six turnovers for the Knights. Darius Johnson added 21 points and six assists for UCF, which shot just 5-of-22 from 3-point range and lost its third straight game.

Moustapha Thiam had 14 points and eight rebounds and Jordan Ivy-Curry scored 11 points for the Knights.

The Bearcats shot 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field in the first half to take a 40-36 halftime lead. Thomas made 8 of 11 shots, including an impressive tip-in with one-tenth of a second showing on the clock.

Cincinnati took its largest lead on Bandaogo's layup that made it 70-60 with 8:16 left, and UCF never got closer than five the rest of the way.

--Field Level Media