Baba Miller's career night propels Bearcats to 89-62 victory over Lipscomb

Cincinnati improved to 8-5 on the season following its 89-62 victory over Lipscomb to conclude the 2025 non-conference slate.

The Bearcats were led by Baba Miller, who finished with 11 points and a career high 21 rebounds in the victory. Miller snatched nearly 50% of the team's rebounds as they won the battle of the glass 45-31.

“There’s one statistic you can be selfish about and still be good for the team, and that's rebounding,” Wes Miller said. “To look down and see Baba Miller had 21 rebounds is really impressive. I would like some of the other guys to compete with him in that aspect. No matter who you're playing, 21 rebounds at the Division One level is very impressive.”

Lineup Changes

Wes Miller noted after the Clemson loss that lineup changes were looming with a week to prepare for tonight’s match-up vs Lipscomb.

Sencire Harris and Jizzle James made their first starts of the season while Kerr Kriisa and Shon Abaev moved to the bench.

“I think having Jizzle in the starting lineup allows you to do different things lineup-wise with different combinations because of his size and physicality.” Wes Miller told reporters. “He has the ability to defend multiple different positions. We had some different combinations that weren't working earlier in the season but work now when he is out on the floor. It goes the same way with Baba Miller due to his versatility. Jizzle has that same effect on the game. Sometimes those things are complicated. However, this move was simple. We had a 28-point deficit vs Clemson, and that group fought back, allowing us a chance to win the game. We wanted to reward that performance for the edge and resiliency they showed.”

Now, veteran point guard Kerr Kriisa noted that he didn’t look into the lineup change because it happened more frequently during his time in the Euro League.

“I was very impressed with Kerr’s response and maturity when I told him after practice yesterday that he wouldn’t be starting tonight,” said Wes Miller. "He knew it wouldn’t really affect his playing time. He is a true pro and a winner. I was really impressed with his performance tonight. I think it was his best game at Cincinnati."

Moustaphia Thiam finished with a team-high 18 points, with 16 of those coming in the second half. Meanwhile, Jizzle James recorded 16 points, while Kerr Kriisa also dropped 15 points in the win.

Tyler McKinley injury update

McKinley has now missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury suffered vs Georgia.

“I hope Tyler is able to play Saturday vs Houston.” Wes Miller told reporters. “He did some aspects of practice and was available tonight. However, he just didn’t look like he could go out there and play live basketball and be 100%. You guys know I love Tyler McKinley. He creates so much offense for us; we need him. However, I can’t say whether or not he will be able to play vs Houston on Saturday. I just hope he can get back out there.”

The Rundown

Lipscomb jumped out to an early 7-1 lead over Cincinnati after Charlie Williams buried a corner three-pointer, forcing Wes Miller to call an early timeout. Cincinnati responded with a six-point swing to tie the game at seven following a made layup from Thomas.

Kriisa made a huge impact off the bench for Cincinnati as the veteran guard sparked a personal nine-point run to give the Bearcats an 18-12 lead with 11:43 to play. The Bearcats' offense started to find its stride at that moment, while Lipscomb struggled as they went scoreless for the next four minutes of action.

Jalen Celestine gave Cincinnati a 24-13 lead with 8:43 left in the first half after knocking down consecutive triples. Meanwhile, Lipscomb was just one-for-nine from the field over the last six minutes before a made triple from Ross Candelino.

Cincinnati responded with a 10-0 run that started with a triple from Thomas. James responded shortly after with a corner three. Then turned the corner and forced the turnover on the ensuing inbounds possession, forcing the turnover, then creating a three-point play following the steal. Baba Miller then got in on the scoring action after snatching the rebound off a Thomas miss for the easy putback.

The Bearcats controlled a 44-24 lead at the half, behind strong first halves from James and Kriisa, who had 18 of Cincinnati’s 44 points. Now, for Cincinnati, they were able to withstand the early lead after finishing the first half 8-16 (50%) from behind the arch, which is something they have struggled with at times this season.

However, Lipscomb failed to find any sort of rhythm in the final six minutes on the offensive end, scoring just six points in that time frame. Cincinnati, on the other hand, outscored them 20-6 in that span, which was a huge reason for their lead heading into the break. Now, the real question is whether Cincinnati can build on the first half and put the nail in the coffin of this one early in the second half.

Sencire Harris forced two early turnovers to kick off the second half, resulting in a quick four points. The Bison, then turned it over again, this time Day-Day Thomas came away with the steal to force an early timeout, with Lipscomb trailing 50-24.

Cincinnati was looking to play through the post early in the second half, as Moustapha Thiam scored eight straight for the Bearcats. Once Cincinnati was able to get the ball established in the post, it seemed as if Lipscomb had no response to slowing down the Bearcats' offense.

The Bearcats controlled a 72-44 lead with just over ten minutes to play following another layup from Thiam. The 7’2” center grabbed his fifth rebound of the night for the easy putback following the miss from Keyshaun Tillery as Cincinnati’s size and physicality were too much for Lipscomb this evening.

Candelino went on to score eleven straight for Lipscomb, as the Bison looked to slowly chip away at the Bearcats to make this an 82-58 game with just over six minutes to play. Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam were too much for the Bison in the second half, as the duo combined for 24 points and thirteen rebounds.

Up Next

The Bearcats will kick off Big 12 play on Saturday as Wes Miller looks to record his first victory over Houston as head coach of Cincinnati. Tip-off is slated for 2pm.