It’s been a rough week for basketball fans in Ames, Iowa, with Cincinnati handing the Cyclones their second-straight loss in the last five days.
Wes Miller’s crew emerged victorious with a 79-70 win, which saw four Bearcats reach double-figures in scoring. Cincinnati’s win over Iowa State netted the Bearcats their first win over a Top Two team since March 9th, 2012, against Syracuse.
Out of the gates, Iowa State looked like its old self, but Cincinnati didn’t back down. Around the 14:00 minute mark, Cincinnati went on a 12-0 run, which swung ESPN’s odds prediction to 60%. They maintained a comfortable lead until late in the first half when Iowa State cut it close. Still, the Bearcats never surrendered the lead after Iowa State’s 8-7 lead in 14:29.
The combination of Sencire Harris, Day Day Thomas, Jizzle James, and Jalen Celestine combined for 58 of Cincinnati’s 79 points, but it was an incredibly balanced attack. Eight Bearcats scored, and FAU transfer Baba Miller nearly recorded a double-double with eight points, four assists, and 12 rebounds, which helped Cincinnati outrebound the Cyclones overall (37-29) and 14-10 on the offensive glass.
Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic made an effort to flip the tides in favor of the Cyclones with a massive 34 points, but in the end, Cincinnati took care of business and advanced to 2-3 in conference play.
