CINCINNATI — Dillon Mitchell was instrumental in a well-rounded offensive effort, contributing 14 points as Cincinnati managed to outlast Arizona State with a score of 67-60 on Saturday.
Mitchell extended Cincinnati’s lead with a layup that put them ahead by 17 points just three minutes into the second half. However, the Bearcats faced a significant scoring drought, failing to score again until another layup from Mitchell allowed them to reach 46-35 with 14 minutes still on the clock. During a tough six-minute stretch, Cincinnati was unable to make a basket, going 0 for 10 and turning the ball over two times. During this period, Dan Skillings Jr. stood out as the only scorer for Cincinnati, sinking 6 of 8 free throws.
Arizona State made a push with a dunk from Jay Quaintance, narrowing the gap to 52-48. Nevertheless, Cincinnati countered with a dunk from Skillings, followed by a 3-pointer from CJ Fredrick, which widened the lead to 57-48 with just under five minutes remaining.
With a layup from Skillings, Cincinnati moved ahead 65-56 as they approached the final minute of play. Arizona State managed to trim the deficit to 65-61 with 38 seconds to go, but Jizzle James sealed the game with two free throws, pushing the score to 67-61 with 31 seconds left. Arizona State struggled in the final moments, committing two turnovers in the last half-minute.
Alongside Mitchell, both Skillings and James scored 12 points each, while Simas Lukosius added 10 points for the Bearcats (11-6, 2-4 Big 12). For Arizona State (10-7, 1-5), Jay Quaintance posted impressive game-highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Alston Mason added 13 points and BJ Freeman netted 12.
The game started off tightly contested, with six lead changes in the initial eight minutes. Cincinnati then surged ahead on a remarkable 16-0 run, building a commanding 24-11 lead with just over five and a half minutes left in the first half. During this stretch, the Sun Devils struggled offensively, failing to score for 6:40 and attempting 10 shots without success.
Leading 36-22 at halftime, Cincinnati improved their record to 11-1 when ahead at the break. The Bearcats will next face Texas Tech at home on Tuesday, while Arizona State is set to play against West Virginia on the same day.