The Cincinnati men’s basketball team defeated the Cleveland State Vikings on Thursday by a final score of 69-58. The Bearcats looked considerably worse than they did in the season opener against Chaminade, needing a late run to bury Cleveland State.
After back-and-forth scoring from both sides to start the game, Cincinnati started to grow a lead through the midway point in the first half. A Deante Johnson dunk for the Vikings cut the Bearcats’ lead to 14-13. Cincinnati followed with a 14-7 run over a nearly six-minute stretch to expand the lead to 28-20. Cleveland State would battle back late in the first half and hold Cincinnati to just one made field goal over the final four minutes and 52 seconds of the half. The Vikings went on a 9-2 run during that time to make it a 30-29 game at halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, veteran guard David DeJulius had confidence in a strong second half. “We knew at halftime that their team played a lot more minutes than our guys, so we wanted to wear them down, [down] the stretch,” he said. “That’s just something we practice for. Towards the end of practice, coach always says ‘dig’ and tells us about how at the end you want to be the most conditioned team. That was most definitely a factor down the stretch for us.”
Similar to the first half, both teams traded baskets to begin the second half. There were four lead changes within the first three minutes of playing time in the second half. After a Jarrett Hensley layup more than eight minutes into the half broke a 43-43 tie, the Bearcats would never lose their lead. The layup was the beginning of a 26-15 run to close out the game for the Bearcats.
In another excellent showing, DeJulius led the Bearcats with 18 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field. He added six assists and three rebounds to go along with his game-high in points. He expressed how he was content with his play down the stretch. “This is the stat line I like, having six assists. When not only you can have a night for yourself but you also can be able to share the love to your teammates, and that’s thanks to them,” he stated.
Another key contributor to the Cincinnati offense was Landers Nolley II. After a 19-point outburst in his Cincinnati debut in the season opener, he added 16 points against Cleveland State. While he shot 0-for-5 from the 3-point line, he was 5-for-9 from two-point range and 6-for-6 shooting free throws. Nolley also brought down five rebounds and picked up two steals as well.
Looking to make a much bigger impact in his second season with Cincinnati, Viktor Lakhin was a force for the Bearcats in a statement showing. The sophomore forward dropped 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field with a couple of free throws. He was a monster on the glass the entire game for Cincinnati. Lakhin pulled in 12 rebounds, twice the amount of the next closest player in the game. He also accounted for three of the six blocks the Bearcats tallied in the game.
Understanding how much is expected from him this season, Lakhin is ready to take his game to a different level. “I can show everyone what I’ve been working on all summer, me personally and the team as well,” he said. “I didn’t know that I needed [a full summer] as bad as I actually needed it. Coach Miller always told me you will see how much you improve having that offseason.” He also mentioned his specific role as a player meshing with the play style of the team. “Just play my role. Offensive rebounds, just out-hustle, out-work people. That’s how we get it.”
Cincinnati out-rebounded its opponent for a second consecutive game. They had the 43-31 advantage crashing the boards over Cleveland State, and head coach Wes Miller believes the rebounding effort from his team, highlighted by Lakhin’s overall performance, was the biggest reason for the win. “I thought our offensive rebounding was probably the difference in the game,” he stated. “[Lakhin] had some good defensive presence around the basket. That was important. It was nice to see him finish… 6-for-7 from the field so I thought he finished well. He needs to keep taking steps forward and I think he can. He’s a really important part of this team.”
After the game, Miller acknowledged the struggles from his team, but was appreciative to come out victorious. “It’s good to win. There’s a lot of things that I’m not pleased with, on both sides of the ball,” he said. “But it’s really good to get in some of those moments and just have to figure it out as a group. That’s how you start becoming a team. That was the best part of tonight. We just had to figure it out and find a way.
Cincinnati improves to 2-0 on the season with another home matchup on the horizon against Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels suffered a loss at home to Western Kentucky following a blowout win against Miami University Middletown.