Recap: Cincinnati 72 Mount St Mary's 55
Cincinnati pulled away late to secure a 72–55 win over Mount St. Mary’s Sunday evening, using a dominant final 12 minutes to stay unbeaten. The Bearcats closed the game on a 20-5 run over the final 8:15 to pull away and avoid an upset prior to Friday night's tilt against Louisville.
“That last 12 minutes of the second half we started playing Cincinnati basketball," Miller stated. “Our length at the rim finally became a factor in the game in the second half, and I thought we guarded the three-point line much better after halftime.”
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
Mount St. Mary’s repeatedly punished Cincinnati’s early defensive mistakes. The Mountaineers shot 10–27 from deep for the game, but many of those makes came before UC settled in. Miller pointed directly to communication failures.
“Some of it was communication errors in transition or communication errors on broken plays… When you made a mistake in the first half, they made the shot.”
Mount St. Mary’s guard Xavier Lipscomb scored 13 first-half points, though he would be almost completely erased after intermission.
Cincinnati’s offense was inconsistent early. The Bearcats shot just 10–33 (30%) from the field and 4–18 from three (22%) before halftime, finishing the night at 24–64 (37.5%) overall and 6–29 (20.7%) from deep.
Despite the sluggish start, Cincinnati trailed by only one possession multiple times, traded six lead changes, and remained tied for more than three minutes.
Turning Point: Day Day’s Hustle Sparks a 20–5 Run
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
The game completely changed on a hustle play midway through the second half.
“Day Day Thomas diving on the floor for a loose ball that didn’t even look like it was in his area… was the defining moment during that stretch,” Miller explained.
Cincinnati immediately elevated its energy and physicality. The Bearcats hit five of their final seven field-goal attempts, forced turnovers on four Mount St. Mary’s possessions in the last five minutes, and held the visitors to one field goal over a three-minute scoring drought.
Thomas, who led Cincinnati with 16 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and perfect 3-for-3 three-point shooting, helped direct the surge.
“We just got to take pride and guard… just doing little things,” Thomas explained.
Second-Half Defensive Transformation
Cincinnati’s defensive identity emerged fully after halftime.
“Our length at the rim finally became a factor in the game in the second half," Miller said.
The Bearcats recorded 8 blocks (to Mount St. Mary’s 1), with Moustapha Thiam as the centerpiece. Thiam posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, along with four blocks. He explained his mindset.
“Just trying to execute whatever my coach tells me… trying to get some stops and trying to be more active.”
A major storyline was the assignment on Lipscomb, the Mountaineers’ first-half star. Lipscomb scored just one point in the second half, a feat that Thomas credited Sencire “Buck” Harris for.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
“Buck took the challenge on him… He said he was going to lock him up and he did it.”
Miller also praised Harris’ momentum-changing effect:
“Sencire just has an effect on the game… he brings an energy to both ends of the floor.”
The West Virginia transfer also contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds in the win over 22 minutes.
Rebounding Swing
Mount St. Mary’s opened with an 11–3 rebounding edge, but Cincinnati dominated the glass from that point on, finishing 46–36 overall, including 15 offensive rebounds and a 9–8 advantage in second-chance points.
"We were losing the rebounding war… but when we finally started playing Cincinnati basketball in the second half, the rebounding was a part of us playing better basketball,” Miller explained.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
Baba Miller anchored the effort, posting a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double on efficient 5-for-9 shooting. Halvine Dzellat added five boards in 10 energetic minutes as UC’s frontcourt depth showed up.
Thiam said the staff made the adjustment simple:
“Coach just told us we got to box out and pursue it all five.”
The Bearcats responded with 31 defensive rebounds, limiting Mount St. Mary's to just seven second-chance points.
Turnovers, Decision-Making
The Bearcats committed 10 turnovers, a notable improvement from previous outings, but still not up to the coaching staff’s expectations.
“No, I’m not pleased with 10… We still had quite a few careless ones. It’s been a big emphasis in practice,"Miller said.
The staff has returned to fundamental drills to correct what Miller called recent slippage in decision-making and pace.
He emphasized that this group still has “a lot to learn” but also stressed that the correlation between executing their principles and winning possessions was clear in this game.
The Bearcats forced 19 MSM turnovers, holding a 21-0 advantage in points off turnovers. UC also outscored MSM 16-0 in fast break points
Freshman Development: Keyshuan Tillery
Freshman guard Keshuan Tillery logged meaningful first-half minutes and contributed 9 points while shooting 2-for-3 from deep. Miller applauded his progress:
“Tonight was a step in the right direction. I hope it gives him some confidence… I don’t want him to play like a freshman point guard when we get to Big 12 play.”
Up Next: Louisville
Miller acknowledged the difficult matchup looming Friday night and the staff's commitment to film study.
“Coaches don’t sleep during the season… We’ll go get to work on this tape tonight," Miller explained. “We can’t look too far ahead. We got to get better in practice tomorrow.”
Game Recap
First Half
Cincinnati opened the game quickly with Day Day Thomas drilling a three, but Mount St. Mary’s answered immediately behind Mason So’s jumper. The teams traded baskets in the early minutes—Thiam, Miller, and Tillery providing Cincinnati’s scoring—while Mount St. Mary’s relied on Xavier Lipscomb, So, and Arlandus Keyes, each hitting timely shots to keep the Mount close or briefly ahead.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
After Cincinnati briefly went up 7–5 thanks to back-to-back free throws from Thiam, MSM responded with another three from Keyes and an and-one finish by McEldon, giving the Mount an 11–8 lead. Cincinnati countered through Miller in the paint, but Lipscomb added another strong drive. Thomas’s second three of the half once again tied the score at 13.
MSM then built a small run, getting paint baskets from Diop and Lipscomb to go up 17–13, though Tillery quickly cut that back with a three. Tillery followed with a jumper to momentarily put Cincinnati ahead 18–17—its last lead of the half.
Lipscomb responded immediately with his third three of the half, then knocked down another minutes later. The Mount’s perimeter attack surged as Keyes hit again from long range, stretching the lead to 26–21. So and Deveaux kept the run going, with Deveaux burying a deep three to push MSM ahead 31–23. Cincinnati managed to get to the line and chip away, but Rozakeas hit a corner three and McEldon added a jumper to extend the lead to 36–27. Tillery’s late three brought Cincinnati within 36–30 at halftime.
Second Half
Mount St. Mary’s opened the second half with McEldon scoring inside to restore an eight-point cushion, but Cincinnati immediately began chipping away. Abaev finished in the paint, Harris converted a layup, and Thiam knocked down a short jumper to bring the Bearcats within 38–36.
MSM briefly halted the push with a Deveaux three, but Cincinnati answered with a decisive surge. Abaev hit both free throws, then threw down a fast break dunk. Harris added another transition layup moments later, giving Cincinnati its first lead since early in the half at 42–41.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
The Mount responded with an and-one from Amadi and another three from Deveaux, pushing their lead back to 47–42, then Lipscomb added a free throw to make it 48–42. But Cincinnati tightened up defensively and mounted a slow, steady comeback. Kriisa buried a three, Thomas hit two free throws, and Tillery added another at the line to tie the game at 48–48.
From there, Cincinnati took over.
Abaev hammered home another dunk in transition, and Miller followed with a powerful finish of his own, giving the Bearcats a 52–48 lead. Though McEldon scored to stop the run, Thomas calmly made three straight free throws and then drilled a deep three to give Cincinnati a commanding 58–50 lead.
From the 7-minute mark onward, the Bearcats dominated. Miller hit two free throws, Harris added another, and Cincinnati’s athleticism showed as they repeatedly scored in transition. Thiam sank a free throw, then delivered a fastbreak dunk moments later. Harris added another fastbreak layup, and Thiam threw down yet another transition dunk—stretching the margin to 68–52, completing a 20–2 Cincinnati run that blew the game open.
(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)
The Mount finally answered with a three from Rozakeas, but the Cincinnati offense remained relentless. Miller finished at the rim, and Thomas punctuated the game with a fastbreak dunk in the final minute to seal the outcome.
Final Thoughts:
Cincinnati’s win was far from flawless, but it reinforced the foundation of what this team can become. After a first half marked by defensive lapses, rebounding issues, and cold shooting, the Bearcats responded with a dominant final stretch and showcasing the identity Wes Miller expects. Their improved communication, rim protection, and physical rebounding turned the game decisively, validating Miller’s observation that their length at the rim “finally became a factor” after halftime.
The contributions came from across the roster: veteran leadership from Day Day Thomas, disruptive defense from Buck Harris, and double-doubles from both Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam. Tillery and Halvine Dzellat added timely boosts off the bench that helped Cincinnati control the final minutes.
Despite cold perimeter shooting and missed free throws, the Bearcats demonstrated they can still win convincingly by leaning on defense, depth, and effort. As stronger opponents await, UC will have to develop more consistency at both ends of the court but this performance showed that Cincinnati’s ceiling rises dramatically when it plays connected, disciplined, and true to its identity.