CINCINNATI — On Friday night, Simas Lukosius led the way with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while Jizzle James contributed significantly with 15 of his total 19 points coming in the second half, helping No. 17 Cincinnati dominate Nicholls State with a score of 86-49.

Dillon Mitchell added a solid performance with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Arrinten Page chipped in 11 points, as Cincinnati marked its return following a week off after securing an 83-56 victory over Morehead State on November 8.

Cincinnati’s head coach Wes Miller has guided the Bearcats to a 3-0 start in each of his four seasons, recently achieving his 250th career victory last Friday.

For Nicholls State, Jamal West Jr. emerged as the top scorer with 12 points, as the team struggled to find their rhythm.

Notably, Nicholls State’s coach Tevon Saddler is a former player of Miller’s from his time at UNC-Greensboro, where he played between 2013 and 2015 and was recognized as the Southern Conference freshman of the year. At just 29 years old, Saddler is currently the youngest head coach in Division I basketball.

In terms of takeaways from the game, Cincinnati managed to perform effectively despite the absence of Dan Skillings Jr., who was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season. Skillings suffered a knee injury during the first game of the season, where he recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Bearcats did not seem to miss him against Nicholls State, shooting a notable 54% from the field and out-rebounding their opponents 46-32. Senior center Aziz Bandaogo, standing at 7 feet, was instrumental in defense, recording four out of the team’s 14 blocked shots.

One key moment in the contest occurred midway through the first half, as Page ignited a 9-0 run with five consecutive points, followed by Bandaogo scoring on two possessions in a row, extending the lead to 25-12. Cincinnati maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.

As for a key statistic, Cincinnati managed to hold Nicholls State to a mere 26% shooting in the first half, establishing a comfortable 42-22 lead by halftime. It wasn’t until the 13:24 mark in the second half that the Colonels had a scorer reach double digits. Overall, Nicholls State finished the game with a shooting percentage of just 30% (21 of 69) from the field.

Looking ahead, Nicholls State will be hosting Towson on Wednesday, while Cincinnati is set to play an away game against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.