Igniting offense priority as Cincinnati hosts Alabama State

Cincinnati is chasing offensive consistency and health when it hosts Alabama State on Wednesday.

The Bearcats (6-4) have dropped their last two games, a 79-74 loss to Xavier on Dec. 5 and an 84-65 decision to Georgia on Saturday.

Senior Jalen Celestine came off the bench to lead Cincinnati with 13 points against the Bulldogs. The Baylor transfer is an instrumental cog in the Bearcats' lineup.

"He's one of those seniors that's older, experienced and versatile," Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said of Celestine. "When we put our roster together, we felt like he could connect the roster because you can play him in so many different places."

Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam each recorded 11 points in that game for a Bearcats team that struggled to score. Cincinnati shot 35.4% from the field and 25.9% (7 of 27) from beyond the arc versus the Bulldogs.

Miller said Cincinnati is working to address its offensive shortcomings.

"We started that process weeks ago," Miller said. "So, it's not about sweeping massive changes. We attacked that stuff a couple weeks back. And we've slowly been trying to install those things at the right time and work on those things every chance we get."

The Hornets (3-7) extended their losing streak to four games with an 85-77 setback Missouri on Thursday.

Alabama State outscored the Tigers 38-33 in the second half and showed the resilience for which coach Tony Madlock is seeking. Asjon Anderson (18.4 points) leads Alabama State in scoring and Micah Simpson (16.2 points) also scores in double figures.

"We are a tough team," Madlock said. "We aren't as tough as we need to be yet. But if you look at our record and think we've only won three games, I want you to do the math. We've played 13 games and only one home game. We go to Cincinnati next, then Memphis and Mississippi State. But we understand the task. As long as my guys fight and compete, we're good with it."

--Field Level Media