In a battle between two Ohio basketball programs, Cincinnati defeated Dayton 66-59 at a neutral site. With the victory, the Bearcats moved to 9-1 and became one of three Big 12 teams to already reach nine wins this season.
Cincinnati got revenge after losing to Dayton in the same Heritage Bank Center arena where they faced off last year. Bearcats fans showed up big time at the downtown Cincinnati venue.
Bearcats head coach Wes Miller pointed to the Cincinnati faithful and their support as a game-changer in the victory.
“Man, I loved how many Cincinnati fans were in there this year,” Miller said. “I thought the difference was our people came out. I wanna thank all the Bearcats that came out.”
Cincinnati played inspiring defense, holding Dayton’s top-15 offense to 17 points in the first half. Despite a late-game surge from the No. 22-ranked Flyers, Cincinnati held on for a statement win that should help them build on their No. 19 ranking in the next AP Top 25 poll.
Wes Miller sent a confident message on Bearcats guard Jizzle James to the media
Bearcats sophomore Jizzle James bounced back from arguably the worst performance of his college career. After putting up a goose egg on 0/11 shooting in Cincinnati’s previous win over Xavier, James dropped 14 points and three assists on 5/9 shooting. The young guard also recorded three blocks.
Miller did not hold back on the media after the game, defending James with the kind of confidence every coach should have in his players.
“You guys were all worried about Jizzle James going 0-11 (against Xavier),” Miller told the media. “My ass wasn’t.”
Since Miller became the Cincinnati head coach in 2021, the Bearcats have adopted their leader’s grit and toughness. Miller’s team put its resilience on full display en route to a third straight win.
Cincinnati will return to the court on Dec. 22 against the Grambling State Tigers, who have a 2-9 record. Needless to say, the Bearcats are a safe bet to extend their win streak to four.
