No. 19 Cincinnati halts No. 22 Dayton's 5-game win streak

Field Level Media|published: Fri 20th December, 23:17 2024

NCAA Basketball: Hoops Classic-Cincinnati at Dayton

Dec 20, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Dayton Flyers guard Enoch Cheeks (6) drives to the basket against Cincinnati Bearcats guard Simas Lukosius (41) and guard Day Day Thomas (1) in the first half at Heritage Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Dan Skillings Jr. scored a team-high 17 points while Jizzle James added 14 to lead No. 19 Cincinnati past No. 22 Dayton 66-59 on Friday night in downtown Cincinnati.

In his third game back from minor knee surgery, Skillings looked more comfortable assuming a scoring role for Cincinnati (9-1) while adding six rebounds and four steals. James rebounded nicely from an 0-for-11 shooting performance against Xavier last Saturday, finished 5-of-9 from the field, with three rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Simas Lukosius added 13 for Cincinnati despite 4-of-17 shooting from the field at Heritage Bank Center, three miles south of Cincinnati's campus.

Nate Santos and Malachi Smith led Dayton (10-3) with 13 points apiece, while Zed Key and Posh Alexander each had 11. Cincinnati avenged its 82-68 loss to Dayton on the same court last December. The Bearcats lead the series 61-32.

Dayton, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, showed the effects of playing its third game in seven days. After rallying from 13 down to beat then-No. 6 Marquette last Saturday at home and escaping unranked UNLV by a point on Tuesday, Dayton couldn't muster any momentum against its longtime rival 50 miles to the south.

The Flyers opened the game ice-cold from the field, missing their first 11 shots before Santos put back a missed Key layup with 8:45 remaining. Dayton's only points in the first 11 minutes came via the free-throw line.

While Dayton missed all seven threes in the first half, Cincinnati missed twice as many, converting just 3-of-17 attempts from beyond the arc to allow Dayton to trail by just eight (25-17) at the half.

The Bearcats opened the lead up to 14 several times in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, then expanded their lead to 53-35 on a James three with 7:36 left.

Leading 55-38 with just under seven minutes to play, Cincinnati missed seven straight shots from the field to open the door for Dayton. Malachi Smith drained two free throws with 2:36 remaining to draw the Flyers within seven before Smith rattled home a 3-pointer off a loose-ball rebound.

With a chance to draw to within two, Santos missed a reverse layup with 1:22 remaining, allowing Cincinnati to put the game away.

--Field Level Media