CINCINNATI, Ohio – In a closely contested match on Wednesday night, Simas Lukosius made a significant impact for Cincinnati, scoring 16 points as the Bearcats triumphed over Colorado with a final score of 68-62. This victory allowed Cincinnati to move out of the bottom of the Big 12 standings, where both teams had entered the game tied after experiencing four-game losing streaks.

Cincinnati’s offensive effort featured valuable contributions from Dillon Mitchell, who added 11 points. Dan Skillings Jr. and substitute Day Day Thomas both chipped in with 10 points, while Aziz Bandaogo was a force on the boards with 10 rebounds. The Bearcats now hold a record of 11 wins and 5 losses overall, with a 1-4 mark in the conference.

On the other side, Colorado was led by Bangot Dak, who not only scored a career-high 19 points but also made a mark defensively with eight blocks and eight rebounds. Despite Dak’s outstanding performance, Colorado fell to 9-7 overall and remains winless in conference play at 0-5.

Cincinnati began the second half with a solid 34-27 lead from halftime, and Lukosius extended that lead with a three-point play shortly after the break, bringing the score to 39-30. However, Colorado pushed back, outscoring the Bearcats 21-10 in the following minutes, which culminated in the Buffaloes taking a brief lead at 51-50 courtesy of Trevor Baskin’s layup with just over four minutes remaining. That lead was short-lived, as Thomas quickly responded with a drive to the basket, regaining the edge for Cincinnati at 52-51, a lead they maintained through to the end of the game.

Cincinnati delivered critical blows in the closing minutes, with Lukosius hitting two pivotal three-pointers surrounding a dunk from Mitchell, which extended their lead to 60-53 with just 1:46 left on the clock.

With this latest result, Colorado extends its losing streak to five games and is set to face Oklahoma State on Saturday. Meanwhile, Cincinnati will travel to Arizona State on the same day for their next matchup.