Recap: Cincinnati 69 Utah 65
Moustapha Thiam recorded a dominant 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Cincinnati used a decisive 9-0 run over the final 1:24 to erase a five-point deficit and secure a 69-65 victory over Utah Utes. The win marked the third straight Big 12 win for Cincinnati, improving the Bearcats to 14-12 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
“This was a character win for us,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We didn’t play our best basketball at all, but I’m really proud of how we finished. We’ve been in that position a number of times and we found a way — a 9-0 run — to win the game. I was extremely proud of our players tonight.”
Game Recap
Cincinnati led 37-34 at halftime after shooting 47 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The Bearcats built a first-half lead as large as nine points, fueled by transition buckets and paint touches from Thiam and Baba Miller.
Utah answered in the second half behind a relentless effort on the glass from Keanu Dawes and timely scoring from Don McHenry. Dawes finished with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, including several key offensive boards as Utah built a 65-60 advantage with 1:56 remaining. At that point, the Utes had seized momentum and appeared in control.
But from there, Cincinnati completely flipped the script.
“I thought we just stayed poised,” Miller said. “It just kind of had that feeling like nothing’s going to go our way. I thought we held our poise and then guys made some big-time plays in the last couple minutes of the game. The stop, the conversion — Jizzle throws a terrible pass coming up the floor to JC. Jizzle was bad tonight — again, he has an out — but JC gets it, goes to two feet in the paint, drops it off to Baba for the dunk. We kept our poise no matter what was going on and made some plays. I thought that was the difference. Big step for us tonight.”
After Day Day Thomas knocked down a jumper to cut the deficit to three, Miller calmly sank two free throws to make it a one-point game. Moments later, Miller soared in transition for a go-ahead dunk with 40 seconds left, giving Cincinnati a 66-65 lead — its first since earlier in the half.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
Utah, which shot just 36.1 percent for the game and 30.3 percent in the second half, went cold down the stretch, missing its final four field goal attempts. The Bearcats capitalized at the line, as Thomas and Jizzle James converted clutch free throws in the final seconds to cap the 9-0 closing run.
“I could see that we had a couple guys that were just tired, sick, had that look,” Miller said of the final minutes. “I just tried to be extremely positive — let’s enjoy this moment. This is all the work we do. Don’t worry about anything that’s happened. Just go make plays and win the game. Get back to the things we do defensively. The message was to stay loose, stay confident and go make winning plays because you work at it all the time.”
Thomas led Cincinnati with 16 points, while Miller added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in an all-around performance. Thiam’s interior efficiency (5-of-9 shooting) and presence around the rim helped Cincinnati score 32 points in the paint and record six blocks defensively.
“And Mou was very good coming off the tweak to the ankle,” Miller said. “We were so scared he’d step on a foot yesterday. We told people, ‘Stay away from Mou.’ … I thought he was really good tonight and demanding the ball.”
Thiam credited the training staff for helping him stay on the floor.
“Yeah, definitely,” Thiam said. “Bob be taking care of us, of course, in the training room. We be working with him every single day. He’d be doing a really good job taking care of us. Just keep working with him every single day — we’ll be right.”
Battling through lingering ankle discomfort, Thiam added: “It’s just part of basketball. Sometimes you hurt something. I’m just trying to get out there as much as I can. Whenever I feel bad or I’m down, I’m like, ‘Why fight? Why me?’ So I just got to work on it and get back on the court because I want to play. I think everybody on the team wants to play too.”
Utah was led by McHenry’s 18 points and Dawes’ double-double, while Terrence Brown added 11 points. The Utes dominated the glass overall (40-30 rebounding edge, 16 offensive boards), but turnovers and late-game execution proved costly.
“I was trying to keep the press conference positive, but if you talk about rebounding, you’re going to turn my mood,” Miller said. “Our rebounding was very poor tonight. … We need to get back to our rebounding habits this week. We’re not going to be the team we have to be night in and night out the way that we rebounded tonight on both ends.”
Cincinnati’s defensive discipline also stood out — just six turnovers committed compared to Utah’s 13 — helping generate an 11-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Preparing for Utah required careful messaging from the staff.
“They’re so much better than their record,” Miller said. “They’ve been in almost every game and they never go away. It’s a difficult game to prepare for because you know your players are going to look at the record, and you can’t play the record. … But again, finding the way is what mattered.”
Freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery provided key minutes and early confidence with back-to-back threes.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
“That helps,” Tillery said. “My teammates give me confidence to shoot the ball every time. They want me to shoot the open ones, so I just felt confident from them to be able to take those back-to-back threes.”
On his development during Big 12 play, Tillery added: “The confidence that I try to have daily — I try to keep it high because that impacts the way I play. Having confidence and getting confidence from my coaches and my teammates helps. … Since the summer I’ve been working out with Day and Malik. I’m learning things from Buck on the defensive end. I’m watching a lot from Jizzle — just the older guys in front of me — seeing what they do and how they adapt to the game.”
Miller praised Tillery’s impact.
“Keyshuan Tillery gave us a huge lift of energy tonight and I thought was very, very impactful,” Miller said. “Freshman point guards and head coaches — that ain’t easy. I’ve been hard on this one. It’s because I think so much of him. He’s a terrific, terrific player. He’s going to be a world-class player. Tonight, I thought he was crazy impactful to winning. I’m really proud of that.”
Miller also highlighted the toughness of his roster, including Jizzle James playing through illness.
“Jizzle comes in yesterday with a 102 temperature, tries to practice with it and doesn’t tell anybody,” Miller said. “He did not play well — he played very poorly — but how about a kid that plays with that going on? That doesn’t happen a whole lot. We’ve got to celebrate that. The toughness to play through something like that — I don’t think that’s happening a lot across the country anymore. I’m really proud of that.”
He also noted Jalen Celestine’s late contributions and Baba Miller’s response after adversity.
“Baba … was disappointed in the technical because he knows he’s too good of a player for that kind of stuff to happen,” Miller said. “But then he came back. He didn’t get frustrated and upset. He misses that free throw, which bothered him — how about the two big free throws he makes? I thought he finished the game. I’m really proud of that.”
Key Takeaways
1. Closing Time
The Bearcats’ 9-0 run over the final 1:24 showcased poise and execution. They scored on four straight possessions and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in crunch time while holding Utah scoreless.
“I’ve coached teams that have won championships and those teams had plenty of games they didn’t play well, but they find ways to win games,” Miller said. “That’s one of the great qualities of a good team or a great team — they just find ways. We found a way tonight. That’s awesome to see them find a way.”
2. Thiam’s Two-Way Impact
Thiam’s 15-point, 10-rebound double-double anchored Cincinnati inside. He provided efficient scoring, rim protection, and physicality that neutralized Utah’s rebounding efforts when it mattered most.
3. Ball Security Was the Difference
Cincinnati committed just six turnovers compared to Utah’s 13. In a four-point game, that margin was enormous and helped offset Utah’s dominance on the offensive glass.
4. Utah’s Late Offensive Drought
Despite controlling the boards and leading by five with under two minutes left, Utah failed to score after Dawes’ jumper at the 1:56 mark. The Utes shot just 10-of-33 in the second half and 1-of-7 during the final stretch.
5. Momentum Building in Big 12 Play
With three consecutive conference wins, Cincinnati is gaining traction in the Big 12 race. At 6-7 in league play, the Bearcats have put themselves firmly back into postseason conversation as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
Final Thoughts
This was the type of win that can define a season.
Cincinnati didn’t control the glass. It didn’t shoot lights out from three. And it trailed with less than two minutes to play. But when the game tightened, the Bearcats executed with composure on both ends — defending without fouling, finishing in transition, and knocking down pressure free throws.
“There were some good things, but the best thing is that we won a game down the stretch when things weren’t going our way,” Miller said. “I think that’s something we can continue to build off of. I’m really proud that we’re figuring that out.”
Good teams find ways to win when they’re not at their best. Great stretches begin with belief, discipline, and timely execution — all of which Cincinnati displayed in the final 84 seconds.
If the Bearcats continue to defend, protect the basketball, and lean on Thiam’s interior presence while getting timely play from Thomas and Miller, this late-season surge may be more than just a three-game streak. It may be the turning point that reshapes their entire Big 12 campaign.
Postgame Video: Wes Miller, Moustapha Thiam, Keyshuan Tillery
Game Highlights: