Recap: Eastern Michigan 64 Cincinnati 57

A poor start, continued rebounding issues, and offensive stagnation plagued Cincinnati on Wednesday night as the Bearcats fell to Eastern Michigan, 64-56, at home. The loss, arguably the worst of the Wes Miller era, underscored a series of familiar problems that continue to need to be addressed as the competition level rises with December quickly approaching. 

 

The Bearcats were out-rebounded 36-29 and finished the game making just 19-of-56 field goal attempts (34%) and 7-of-29 three-point attempts (24%). 

 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

Eastern Michigan jumped out to a 27–10 lead midway through the first half—its largest of the night—and never trailed, holding the lead for 39:03 of game time as Cincinnati failed to erase an early 13-point halftime deficit (36–23). 

“We were a step late defensively to start the game,” Wes Miller said.. “We allowed them to reverse the ball easily, enter easily… They got belief and rhythm, and we kind of felt like we were playing from behind.”

 

Cincinnati was never able to settle offensively in the opening 20 minutes, going just 9-for-30 from the field and 2-for-11 from three. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan shot 43.2% for the game and built its early advantage behind Carlos Hart (15 points, 5 rebounds, 5-5 FT) and Mohammad Habhad (13 points, 7-8 FT). 

 

EMU punished the Bearcats with timely free throws and composure, hitting 86.4% from the line (19–22) to counter the 17 turnovers that the Bearcats forced.

 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

“We didn’t shoot it well early,” Miller said. “We got very stagnant offensively… we had people in positions they’ve never been in. We had a lot of busted possessions tonight.”

 

The Bearcats' 56 points, their lowest output of the season, was heavily impacted by Eastern Michigan. They failed repeatedly to penetrate EMU’s zone defense or establish interior scoring, producing just 24 points in the paint.

 

“When you score 56, it’s more than one thing,” Miller said. “We weren’t able to penetrate the zone, weren’t able to get the ball to the middle, weren’t able to get the ball in the interior. There were times that we had possessions that we didn't even make efforts to do that. And then there were times we did and turned it over or missed a shot.”

 

Bright Spots: Day Day Thomas, Sencire Harris

Despite the loss, Day Day Thomas was the brightest spot for the Bearcats. He finished with a team-high 17 points, hitting 4-of-9 from three and adding 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 36 minutes.

 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

Sencire Harris added 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, providing much-needed offensive energy.

 

Thomas admitted UC’s early approach wasn’t acceptable:

 

"At the start of the game, we didn't come out and play hard like we supposed to and they came ready to play. They played hard. Credit to them. We didn't get it done. I mean, they played harder. It was tough team tonight. So, we just got to learn from it, watch film. Let's get better."

 

Kerr Kriisa played a steady floor game with 8 points and 6 assists, though he shot just 2-for-6 from deep.

 

The Bearcats also finished 11-of-14 from the free throw line. 

Rebounding and Frontcourt Depth Continue to Bite Bearcats

Cincinnati again played without key frontcourt piece Baba Miller and now Jaylen Celestine, to add to the preseason injury of Jaylen Haynes. Three physical, experienced players the roster was built around. Miller refused to use injuries as an excuse but acknowledged the impact on rebounding and interior play.

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

“There’s an expectation when you put the jersey on,” Miller said. “We’re missing three of our top front court players… old, experienced, physical guys. That obviously is a credible effect on our team, but it's not an excuse. We got to collectively figure out how to bridge those gaps and that's the job that we have and that's what we'll attack."

 

Rebounding was once again a liability, compounding the offensive droughts and preventing Cincinnati from ever stringing together a sustained run.  EMU outrebounded UC 29-21 on the defensive glass, limiting the Bearcats to just eight 2nd-chance points. 

 

Shon Abaev grabbed 7 rebounds to lead Cincinnati. With Miller and Celestine being unavailable, the door was opened for Tyler McKinley to make his first start as a Bearcat. 

 

Eastern Michigan’s Addison Patterson led all rebounders with 9 boards along with 7 points and 3 assists. Godslove Nwabude also contributed to the EMU rebounding advantage, pulling down eight boards. 

 

Second-Half Push Not Enough

Cincinnati won the second half 33–28, fueled by more aggressive defense and a slight uptick in shot-making (38.5% in the half) but EMU consistently answered when it needed clutch free throws or shot-making. 

 

 A 13-2 run gave the Bearcats late life, cutting the EMU lead to 48-47 with 5:03 remaining, Fouls on Kriisa and Harris with EMU in the double bonus, as well as a missed Day Day Thomas 3-pointer, would contribute to an EMU 7-0 run, including five straight from Carlos Hart to extend the lead back to eight with 3:01 remaining. 

 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

EMU closed the game hitting free throws, finishing 15-of-18 from the line in the second half.

 

“I thought in the second half our aggressiveness was really good at times,” Miller said. “That allowed us to get back in the game.”

 

But UC missed 8 of its final 9 field goal attempts, extinguishing its comeback.

 

Fan Frustration 

Boos emerged from the crowd during UC’s first-half struggles. Miller addressed the reaction directly:

 

"I said this to the team in the locker… you got to learn how to how to play high level sports in this town, right? That's what comes with it. This is a professional sports town that has given us great support. I appreciate everybody that comes out to the games.," Miller said.

 

"That is what makes it a special place.....Thanksgiving week and people are coming out to games. So, I appreciate that. That's what comes with it. But they also cheered their asses off when we played hard and got back in the game....That's part of playing and coaching at Cincinnati.  I accept it. If you come here, you got to be able to accept it and deal with it. And that that's what it is."

 

(Photo: Taylor Keeton / Bearcatsportshub)

 

Looking Ahead

With a holiday break and extended practice window ahead, Cincinnati hopes to reset and get its offense back on track after several games of inconsistency.

 

“We’re going to lock back in,” Thomas said. “Watch film, go back on the court, take care of business.”

 

Miller said the staff already has a list of offensive adjustments that couldn’t be installed during the recent “three games in five days” stretch.

 

“We've been we're very much aware of the things that we have to do. With some practice time this weekend, we’ll start attacking that,” he said.

 

Cincinnati will try to regroup and get healthier before returning to action next week with a Monday night tuneup against Tarleton State before next week's Crosstown Shootout at Xavier. 

 

Game Highlights:

 

 

Postgame Video: Miller, Thomas