CINCINNATI — Dan Skillings Jr. contributed 17 points while Jizzle James added 14 as the No. 19 Cincinnati Bearcats defeated the No. 22 Dayton Flyers 66-59, ending Dayton’s five-game winning streak on Friday night.

Simas Lukosius also played a significant role for the Bearcats (9-1), finishing the night with 13 points, which helped propel Cincinnati to its third consecutive victory.

For the Flyers (10-3), Malachi Smith and Nate Santos both scored 13 points, but the team struggled with a season-high 17 turnovers. Posh Alexander and Zed Key each chipped in with 11 points.

The first half was characterized by poor execution from both teams. The Flyers were unable to score a field goal until there were only 8:45 left in the half. Meanwhile, the Bearcats struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 3 of 17 on three-pointers, yet managed to create 11 turnovers by Dayton, allowing them to establish a 25-17 lead at halftime.

Cincinnati came out strong in the second half, hitting 5 of their first 8 attempts from three-point range. A four-point play by James allowed the Bearcats to extend their lead to 51-35 with seven minutes remaining. Although Dayton managed to trim the lead down to four points, courtesy of Smith’s 3-pointer which completed a 7-0 run with only 2:01 left, Cincinnati maintained their composure to secure the win.

Key takeaways from the game include the stark contrast in turnovers for Dayton, who had averaged only 8.9 turnovers per game this season. They reached 11 turnovers by halftime, surpassing their total in nine previous games combined.

For Cincinnati, it marked the second consecutive game where the team struggled with shooting but still managed to emerge victorious. The Bearcats posted a 36% shooting percentage on Friday, following a 37.9% performance against their city rivals, Xavier, the previous week.

A crucial moment for Cincinnati came towards the end of the game. Despite entering the game with a free-throw shooting percentage of 62%, Aziz Bandaogo converted both of his shots from the line with just 56 seconds left, helping the Bearcats clinch a four-point lead. In total, Cincinnati shot 16 of 21 from the free-throw line.

One significant statistic to note is that Cincinnati dominated on the boards early in the game, collecting the first eight offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second-chance points. Ultimately, they out-rebounded the Flyers 17-10 on the offensive glass.

Looking ahead, Dayton will host La Salle on December 31, while Cincinnati is set to face Grambling State at home on Sunday.