No longer perfect, Cincinnati tries to regroup vs. Bryant

Field Level Media|published: Mon 11th December, 16:55 2023

Cincinnati Bearcats forward Viktor Lakhin (30) dunks in the second half of the NCAA Basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. credits: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fresh off its first loss of the season, Cincinnati aims to rebound Tuesday night when it hosts Bryant in a nonconference matchup.

The Bearcats (7-1) won their first seven games before dropping their annual crosstown rivalry showdown at Xavier, 84-79.

Cincinnati shot just 1-for-13 in the first half from 3-point range and trailed 35-27 at the break. But the Bearcats responded by making their first six shots of the second half to tie it at 40.

But the Bearcats couldn't hold on and the Xavier crowd went into a frenzy as Cincinnati went cold again in the final 10 minutes.

"I really like my team," Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. "We hadn't been in an environment like this this season, and we'll have plenty more in the Big 12. We hadn't been tested like this.

"We competed at times and played with passion, but that's expected with putting on the jersey. We got uncharacteristic at times with silly fouls that not only put us in foul trouble, but also put them on the line."

Viktor Lakhin has led Cincinnati with 15.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Bryant (6-5) returns to Cincinnati for the second time this season after seeing its three-game win streak snapped in an 86-75 loss at Stony Brook on Saturday night. The Bulldogs fell 100-75 to Xavier the day after Thanksgiving.

Against Stony Brook, Connor Withers scored a career-high 32 points, going 9 of 16 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range.

Bryant led by as many as nine points in the second half, but Stony Brook got hot from beyond the arc. The Seawolves went 11 of 15 from 3-point range after halftime, including their last seven in a row, to earn the win and end Bryant's streak.

Earl Timberlake added 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals for Bryant, while Daniel Rivera finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Sherif Gross-Bullock is averaging a team-best 16.7 points and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. He also posted a season-high six assists at Stony Brook.

—Field Level Media