CINCINNATI — Jizzle James equaled his career-high by scoring 25 points, leading Cincinnati to a strong finish in their matchup against Utah, winning 85-75 on Tuesday night, achieving their third consecutive victory.

Cincinnati surged ahead in the closing minutes, with Day Day Thomas contributing five points and Aziz Bandaogo throwing down an alley-oop dunk during an 11-0 stretch that put them ahead 83-72. James capped off the scoring with two free throws, surpassing his previous season-high of 24 points from the previous Saturday’s game against BYU, which Cincinnati also won 84-66.

In the game against Utah, James shot 10 out of 15 from the field and made two 3-pointers, along with six assists. Josh Reed and Simas Lukosius supported him with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Bandaogo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Cincinnati now holds a record of 15 wins and 9 losses, and 5-8 in the Big 12 Conference.

On the opposing side, Gabe Madsen was a standout for Utah, finishing with 28 points after going 10-of-26 from the field and 8-of-22 from long distance. Lawson Lovering contributed another 14 points to the team’s total.

Utah fought back with a 9-2 run, tying the game at 68 with 7:27 left in the game and then again at 72 before Cincinnati ignited their late-game scoring run with just under four minutes remaining.

In the first half, James was instrumental for Cincinnati, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, helping the team to a lead of 42-36 by halftime. For Utah, Lovering and Madsen combined for 22 points, with Lovering scoring 12 and Madsen adding 10.

Looking ahead, Utah is set to host No. 17 Kansas on Saturday, while Cincinnati prepares for an away game against 10th-ranked Iowa State also on Saturday.