CINCINNATI – Jaden Bradley played a vital role in Arizona’s success on Saturday, scoring 15 points and hitting critical free throws to secure a 72-67 victory against the 16th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats.
Carter Bryant contributed significantly with 14 points, while Caleb Love added 12 as Arizona improved to an 8-5 record and maintained a perfect 2-0 mark in the Big 12 conference, marking their second consecutive win.
Conversely, Cincinnati faced disappointment, falling to 10-3 and 0-2 in conference play, with this loss being their second in a row. Dan Skillings Jr. led the Bearcats with 18 points and also recorded two steals.
Cincinnati faced a challenging situation, trailing by 19 points with just over 17 minutes left in the game. However, they managed to tie the score at 64 with 58 seconds remaining, thanks to a layup from Skillings. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, that proved to be the closest they would come to turning the game around.
Dillon Mitchell also made contributions for Cincinnati, adding 13 points to the total.
Analyzing the performance, Arizona had been averaging around 97 points in their seven victories heading into this matchup, including multiple games surpassing the 100-point threshold. In stark contrast, their five losses had been marked by an average of only 70 points. The 72 points scored against Cincinnati represented the Wildcats’ third-lowest total of the 2023 season.
Cincinnati’s impressive start of the season, which included six straight victories, has been overshadowed by their recent struggles, now downing three of their last seven encounters.
A crucial moment in the game occurred when Caleb Love intercepted a pass from Jizzle James with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half and was fouled by Skillings with only a fraction of a second left. Love capitalized by making one of his two free throws, allowing the Wildcats to enter halftime with a commanding 39-26 lead.
An alarming aspect for Cincinnati has been their struggles with turnovers, committing 39 in their three losses thus far this season.
Looking ahead, both teams are set to compete again on Tuesday night, with Arizona traveling to West Virginia and Cincinnati heading to face off against No. 25 Baylor.
