Cincinnati Bearcats drop Cleveland State, improve to 2-0

Even University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach Wes Miller was amazed by Viktor Lakhin's performance Thursday night.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Russian had career highs in points (14) and rebounds (12) and matched a career high in blocks (three) to lead the Bearcats to a 69-58 win over Cleveland State at Fifth Third Arena.

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"He's improved in a lot of areas," Miller said. "It's amazing. Last year, you're like pulling your hair out in practice, trying to convince him of why getting to the right position is so important. This year, he's like the example of where you're supposed to be. I thought in the ball screen late he was a little too low. I wanted him to get up higher and use his athleticism, because he can really move for 6-11. But his positioning defensively has taken a huge leap.

"He's got great basketball instincts, and when you're in the right position on defense, you give yourself a chance to go make plays and let your instincts and talent take over. So, now, he's in the right place, and we're starting to see some of his ability take over more so than a year ago."

The Bearcats (2-0), who owned a 43-31 rebounding advantage, improved to 13-0 all time against their neighbors from upstate.

After both teams spent the better part of the first half feeling each other out, Cincinnati guard Jeremiah Davenport knocked down a 3-pointer to create some space and give the Bearcats a 22-15 lead inside the 9:00 mark.

The Bearcats committed four turnovers in the final five minutes of the first half. The sloppy play allowed Cleveland State (0-2) to pull within 30-29 at the break after trailing by as many as nine in the first half.

Vikings forward Tristan Enaruna, an Iowa State transfer, led all scorers with 11 first-half points. He finished with 15. Lakhin had eight points and six rebounds in 11 first-half minutes for Cincinnati.

"Tonight, I could see there was some frustration," Miller said. "It was the first time we've faced a little bit of adversity in a real game. So, to me, the most important thing at halftime was getting us to band together and figure it out. We've got a bunch of high-character guys, and one of the strengths of this team could be that it's a resilient, connected-together group. But you've got to go through stuff to become that."

Cleveland State stormed out of the locker room and jumped ahead 35-32 after a monstrous slam by Deante Johnson, who finished with 12 points. But the Vikings' lead was short-lived.

David DeJulius, who scored 18 points, found Landers Nolley II (16 points) on an alley-oop pass that put the Bearcats up 41-39 with 13:57 to play.

Cincinnati then finally cracked Cleveland State's press, found a consistent rhythm on the offensive end and worked its way to a 56-47 lead after a step-back, second-chance 3-point basket by DeJulius with 7:04 remaining and never looked back.

The Bearcats shot just 7-for-21 from 3-point range but outshot the Vikings from the free-throw line. Cincinnati finished 17-for-22 from the foul line, while Cleveland State shot 7-for-9.

Cincinnati graduate wing John Newman III was sidelined Thursday with a knee injury. Newman told The Enquirer before the game that he was scheduled to have the knee examined Friday.

"He's out at the moment," Miller said. "He's one of the best defensive players in our conference. Certainly, in a lot of ways, the heart and soul of us defensively."

Miller said all of the players will need to step up in Newman's absence, especially Jarrett Hensley (seven points, four rebounds and a block in 15 minutes Thursday) and Dan Skillings Jr. (four points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes).

The Bearcats are back in action Sunday against Eastern Kentucky at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for noon on ESPN+.

Cincinnati women bounce back with win over Tennessee Tech

JIllian Hayes scored 15 of her game-high 19 points to lead the UC women's basketball team to a 68-57 win over Tennessee Tech in the first game of the doubleheader Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena.

Hayes also had nine rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in a bounce-back effort. The preseason second-team All-AAC selection was held to just three points on 0-for-9 shooting in the Bearcats' season-opening 87-68 loss Monday at No. 7/5 (Associated Press/coaches polls) Louisville.

"I definitely was (encouraged by her aggressiveness early)," UC coach Michelle Clark-Heard said of the former Loveland High School standout. "That was something that myself and the coaching staff – Coach Bridgette Gordon who's in charge of the post – that was something after the game that her and I just really continued to talk to Jill about. 'You've been in a lot of game situations. (Monday) was just one of those nights where it wasn't your game.' So I'm just really happy that she took that. That's her growing as a player, and that's what we need."

Seton Hall transfer guard Mya Jackson added 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Cincinnati, which will host Radford on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball improves to 2-o with win over Cleveland State