CINCINNATI — Simas Lukosius contributed 14 points, and Aziz Bandaogo added 12, leading No. 22 Cincinnati to a narrow 68-65 victory over their longtime rival, Xavier, on Saturday.
Cincinnati (8-1) managed a late comeback to end a five-game losing streak against the Musketeers (8-3).
In a thrilling finish, Ryan Conwell sank a four-point play, narrowing the gap to 66-65 with only 13.8 seconds remaining. Jizzle James from Cincinnati then converted two free throws, extending their lead to 68-65 with 13 seconds left on the clock. Xavier had a chance to tie the game, but Zach Freemantle’s three-point attempt missed as the buzzer sounded.
Freemantle led the way for Xavier with 18 points, while Conwell contributed 17 points. He had an impressive first half, netting 16 of his 18 points, including a last-second three-pointer that gave the Musketeers a 31-30 advantage at halftime.
Conwell’s three-pointer early in the second half pushed Xavier’s lead to 53-46 with 7:50 left to play. However, Cincinnati responded with a strong 12-1 run, taking the lead 59-56 thanks to a jumper by Lukosius.
In terms of historical context, Xavier had dominated the rivalry recently, securing victories in the previous five matchups before Saturday. The Musketeers had won nine of their last twelve contests against the Bearcats and 13 out of the last 18 games in total.
Despite having struggled with three-point accuracy this season, with a record of 5 for 20 from long range, Cincinnati managed to take down Xavier, highlighting their resilience.
A pivotal moment occurred when Lukosius, who had missed his first five attempts from beyond the arc, finally connected on a three-pointer that cut Cincinnati’s deficit to two points with under six minutes left.
A key statistic from the game showed that the Musketeers had dominated the paint early on, outscoring Cincinnati 20-14 with all of the Bearcats’ points coming from lob passes for dunks. However, Cincinnati adjusted in the second half and reversed that trend, ultimately outscoring Xavier 34-30 in the paint.
Looking ahead, Xavier will face No. 18 UConn on Wednesday, while Cincinnati is set to go up against Dayton on Friday at Heritage Bank Center.
