No. 17 Cincinnati looks to continue its perfect start to the season Friday night when it hosts Nicholls State.
The Bearcats (2-0) are coming off an 83-56 win over Morehead State on Nov. 8 that was fueled by a strong defensive effort. Cincinnati held the Eagles to 30.8 percent shooting in the first half, forced eight turnovers and raced out to a 37-19 halftime lead.
The margin grew as high as 34 points in the second half, and the Bearcats finished with a 15-2 edge in points off turnovers.
Nicholls State (2-2) is playing the second night of a back-to-back set after earning a last-second win on Thursday, a 61-59 road victory over Northern Kentucky.
Cincinnati was as efficient on offense against Morehead State as its defense was dominant. The Bearcats shot a blazing 60 percent from the field, led by Dillon Mitchell (7-for-7), Simas Lukosius (6-for-7) and Aziz Bandaogo (5-for-6).
Mitchell, a Texas transfer, finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Lukosius logged 14 points and six assists. Bandaogo added 12 points and three blocks and was a big reason Cincinnati held the Eagles to just 20-of-56 shooting for the game.
“Dillon Mitchell was terrific,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said. “He was really good. You look down and he’s plus-37, and I’m not a big plus-minus guy, because that stuff can be misleading, especially in limited data like a one-game situation, but it’s not misleading (in his case).
“I thought he was a difference-maker on both ends when he was in the game. I was pleased with that. He’s been showing us flashes of some things that he could do offensively, and I thought he was able to apply that to the game tonight and I was excited about that.”
The Bearcats will need all the contributions they can get for the foreseeable future as starting wing Dan Skillings Jr. is out for several weeks after what the program is terming a minor knee procedure. Skillings is listed as week-to-week.
Skillings’ absence will hurt Cincinnati’s rebounding efforts, an area of concern for Miller after the win over Morehead State.
“I’m not pleased with that at all,” Miller said. “To not have one offensive rebound after 32 minutes of play, that frustrates me. Dan’s not playing, but he’s a terrific offensive rebounder, but one guy shouldn’t affect our ability to get to the boards.”
The Colonels enter the Friday night game with the momentum of an exciting road win at Northern Kentucky, just 9 miles to the south.
Byron Ireland capped a rally from five points down in the final five minutes with a layup with one second left to lift the Colonels past Northern Kentucky. Ireland finished with a team-high 15 points while Ike Cornish had 12 points and seven rebounds for Nicholls.
Robert Brown III was the third player in double figures for the Colonels, finishing with 11 points. Mekhi Collins added nine points and 12 rebounds for Nicholls, which overwhelmingly won the battle of the glass, 57-33.
