Huge second half lifts No. 14 Cincinnati past Howard

Field Level Media|published: Sun 8th December, 16:17 2024

Dec 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Howard Bison guard Jaren Johnson (3) defends as Cincinnati Bearcats guard Day Day Thomas (1) drives to the basket in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Simas Lukosius scored 18 points for No. 14 Cincinnati, which used a second-half surge to beat visiting Howard 84-67 on Sunday.

Coming off a loss at former Big East-rival Villanova on Tuesday, the Bearcats (7-1) faced a struggle early on against the Bison (3-6), the two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions who took Cincinnati to overtime last season. The lead changed 10 times during the first half.

Lukosius, a 6-foot-8 senior, buried two 3-pointers in the final minute of the first half. The first put Cincinnati up 33-32 with 54 seconds left. After Howard missed on its end, Lukosius drained another just before the buzzer to give the Bearcats their largest lead of the game to that point, 36-32.

That momentum carried into the second half, as the Bearcats started it on a 10-2 run. They also hit nine of their first 10 shots after halftime and forced five Howard turnovers during a span of about six and a half minutes. The advantage grew to 55-41.

The lead was 71-45 with less than 10 minutes to go, and Cincinnati never led by fewer than 14 points the rest of the way. Cincinnati outscored Howard 48-35 in the second half.

The Bearcats, who entered Sunday as the nation's seventh-best shooting team (51.5 percent), shot 53.1 percent (34 of 64), helped by connecting on 57.1 percent (20 of 35) in the second half.

Aziz Bandaogo scored 17 points for the Bearcats, who also got 14 points from Dillon Mitchell. Cincinnati's top three scorers combined to go 20 of 26 from the field.

Cincinnati also celebrated the return of Dan Skillings Jr. The junior guard, who last played in the Bearcats' Nov. 4 season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and later underwent a minor knee procedure, entered with 16:44 left in the first half.

Skillings, who scored 17 in his first game, scored two points in his return.

The Bison lost their fourth straight. Freshman guard Blake Harper got his first double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Dockery added 14 points.

While Cincinnati celebrated Skillings's return, Howard once again missed Bryce Harris' services. The preseason MEAC Player of the Year remains out with a stress fracture in his foot.

--Field Level Media