No. 22 Cincinnati beats Xavier 68-65 and snaps a 5-game losing streak against its crosstown rival
Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell rebounds the ball during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Xavier, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Joshua A. Bickel
CINCINNATI — Simas Lukosius scored 14 points and Aziz Bandaogo added 12 as No. 22 Cincinnati held off crosstown rival Xavier 68-65 on Saturday.
Cincinnati (8-1) rallied late to snap a five-game losing streak against the Musketeers (8-3).
Ryan Conwell completed a four-point play to cut Xavier's deficit to 66-65 with 13.8 seconds left. The Bearcats' Jizzle James hit two free throws to make it 68-65 with 13 seconds. Xavier's Zach Freemantle missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Freemantle scored 18 points and Conwell had 17 for the Musketeers.
Freemantle scored 16 of his points in the first half, including a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer, giving the Musketeers a 31-30 lead.
Conwell's 3-pointer extended the Musketeers' lead to 53-46 with 7:50 remaining.
Cincinnati countered with a 12-1 , and a jumper by Lukosius put the Bearcats ahead 59-56.
Xavier forward Zach Freemantle, right, shoots over Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell, center, during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Joshua A. Bickel
Takeaways
Xavier: The Musketeers have owned the series in recent years, winning five straight before Saturday. Xavier has won nine of 12, and 13 of the last 18 games.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have relied heavily on 3-point shooting this season, but they beat Xavier despite shooting 5 for 20 from long range.
Key moment
Lukosius had been 0 for 5 from 3-point range before he made his first from long range to get the Bearcats within two points with 5:56 remaining.
Key stat
With 15 minutes remaining, the Musketeers had outscored Cincinnati 20-14 in the paint, with all of the Bearcats' points coming on lob passes for dunks. The Bearcats did much better in the second half and ended up outscoring Xavier 34-30 in the paint.
Xavier forward Jerome Hunter, right, attempts a shot over Cincinnati guard Connor Hickman, center, during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Joshua A. Bickel
Up next
Xavier plays at No. 18 UConn on Wednesday, while Cincinnati plays Dayton on Friday at Heritage Bank Center.
