CINCINNATI — Jizzle James led the Cincinnati Bearcats with 18 points, while Dillon Mitchell contributed a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, as Cincinnati secured a 75-63 victory over TCU on Saturday.

Cincinnati took control of the game early and maintained the lead throughout, marking a crucial win to stop their two-game losing streak. The Bearcats now hold a record of 16-11 overall and 6-10 in the Big 12, while TCU falls to 15-12, with an 8-8 conference standing.

In addition to James and Mitchell’s notable performances, Day Day Thomas and Josh Reed both added 13 points for Cincinnati. The Bearcats excelled at the free-throw line, hitting 15 of their 17 attempts, compared to TCU’s 3 of 4.

For the Horned Frogs, David Punch was the standout scorer with 18 points, supported by Vasean Allette and Trazarien White, who scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Reed’s three-pointer at the start of the second half pushed Cincinnati’s lead to ten points, which later grew to twenty at the midpoint of the period. Although TCU made a late push, the Bearcats maintained their composure. Thomas appeared to have sealed the game with a steal, but he missed a slam dunk. Subsequently, White hit a three-pointer and Punch added a layup after a TCU block, narrowing the deficit to nine points. However, Thomas quickly found Reed for a basket and a free throw, restoring the Bearcats’ 12-point lead in the final moments.

Cincinnati started the game with a strong 13-0 scoring run, during which TCU struggled offensively and went nearly six minutes without hitting a shot, making just 1 of 14 attempts. Towards the end of the first half, a three-pointer from Jace Posey had the Horned Frogs trailing by just three points, but Cincinnati responded with three-pointers from James and Dan Skillings Jr. to take a 31-24 lead into halftime.

Looking ahead, TCU is set to face West Virginia while Cincinnati will host Baylor in their respective games on Tuesday.