Highland Heights, Ky. — In a thrilling contest on Tuesday night, Simas Lukosius led the 18th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats to a 76-60 victory over the Northern Kentucky Norse, scoring 18 points, including six 3-pointers.
Dillon Mitchell contributed 12 points, while Jizzle James added 11 points along with six assists for Cincinnati, improving their record to 4-0.
On the other side, Northern Kentucky, struggling at 0-4, was paced by Sam Vinson, who tallied 16 points, followed by Trey Robinson with 12.
The Norse faced challenges early, turning the ball over 12 times in the first half, which allowed the Bearcats to capitalize and score 17 of their 32 total points from those turnovers. Despite these difficulties, Northern Kentucky held a significant rebounding advantage of 20-11 and managed to keep the score close at 32-28 heading into halftime.
The second half saw Cincinnati regain momentum, as they led by a single point when Lukosius hit three consecutive 3-pointers, helping to open a 54-45 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Noteworthy developments included the return of Day Day Thomas, last year’s assists leader, who made his season debut for Cincinnati after recovering from a foot injury. He recorded two points and four assists in 14 minutes of play.
Last year’s meeting between these teams at Truist Arena was quite memorable, as Northern Kentucky had stunned Cincinnati with a 64-51 victory, allowing only 11 second-half points. However, on this occasion, the Bearcats managed to pull away.
A pivotal moment came when Connor Hickman’s 3-pointer with 9:22 left in the game extended Cincinnati’s lead to 57-47, marking their largest margin of the night.
A key statistic for the Bearcats was their struggle on the boards without second-leading rebounder Dan Skillings Jr., who is still recovering from knee surgery. Northern Kentucky actually outperformed them in rebounding, finishing with a 30-27 edge, including a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Looking ahead, Cincinnati is set to face Georgia Tech on Saturday, while Northern Kentucky will host Kentucky State on the same day.