West Virginia overcomes 14-point deficit, Defeat Bearcats 59-54

Cincinnati (11-12, 3-7 Big 12) fell to West Virginia 59-54 on Thursday night, blowing a 14-point second-half lead.

"I want to apologize to our fans and everyone who supports Cincinnati basketball,” said an emotional Wes Miller. “This is not okay. I want the results so bad. I want it so bad for our fans and all the people who have invested in our program, our athletic department, and the University. This program has a higher standard. We have to play better down the stretch and close out games. I accept people's frustrations. They deserve to be frustrated.”

“I want it so bad for our players, most importantly for the investment they have put in,” Miller continued. I want it so bad, so the level of frustration that I feel, I can’t even express in words because I want it so bad.”

“Basketball has been such a blessing in my life. The number one thing it taught me was how to deal with things. Sports, in general, stemming back to when I was a kid, taught me how to get through things. It has made me a really tough-minded human being who wakes up the next day and fights. I believe deeply in what we are doing, the people in that locker room, and within this organization. I just wake up and fight each day. To say I am not deeply hurt and frustrated because of how badly I want it would be embarrassing. I believe in these kids and what we are doing in that locker room. We have a lot of basketball yet to play.”

Cincinnati was led by junior guard Jizzle James, who finished with a game-high 18 points, while Baba Miller recorded 16 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

Cincinnati played this game without Center Moustapha Thiam, who was held while recovering from a lower-body injury suffered in the Houston game.

“Moustapha didn’t participate in shoot-around this afternoon and thought he couldn’t play,” Miller told reporters. “He was close. He tried to practice a little the last few days. I woke up hoping he could go, but he didn’t feel confident to play this evening.”

The Rundown

Cincinnati jumped out to an early 11-2 lead over the Mountaineers. Jalen Celestine secured a crucial offensive rebound before kicking it out to Jizzle James for three. Cincinnati then got a stop on the ensuing defensive possession after a rebound from Celestine, who then pushed the tempo in transition, resulting in a dunk for Baba Miller to force an early West Virginia timeout.

Junior point guard Jizzle James wasted no time in the opening minutes of this one, as he led the charge with seven of the Bearcats' first 11 points.

The Mountaineers would go scoreless over the next five minutes before Harlan Obioha knocked down a pair of free throws. Meanwhile, it was all Cincinnati over the first eight minutes of play, as they controlled a 14-6 lead, with Miller and James combining for all 14.

Cincinnati extended its lead following a corner three from Jalen Celestine, followed by a layup from Sencire Harris on the back-door cut. Brenan Loriant silenced another near three-minute scoring drought after a last-second layup late in the shot clock fell. Jasper Floyd followed back with a floater for West Virginia to cut the lead to Single digits with just over eight minutes to play.

Halvine Dezellat picked up his third foul with 7:28 to go, as Cincinnati was forced to go to the small-ball rotation with Moustapha Thiam out for this game due to injury. Meanwhile, the Bearcats never showcased that particular lineup before tonight, but they relied heavily on Baba Miller, who continued to get to the rim effortlessly.

The Mountaineers took advantage of the foul trouble, as they continued to slash and get to the rim with Dzellat and McKinley both on the bench for Cincinnati. The Mountaineers were able to get within striking distance, but then the Bearcats found some momentum down the stretch of the first half.

Cincinnati anchored a 30-20 lead at the half, behind a combined twenty points from Baba Miller and Jizzle James.

The Bearcats did a great job at limiting senior point guard Honor Huff, who averaged nearly 16 points per game entering tonight, but was held scoreless over the first twenty minutes of play this evening. However, a shorthanded Cincinnati was doing a great job at containing the tempo and intensity of this game vs a healthy West Virginia team, to say the least.

West Virginia took advantage of Cincinnati’s early foul troubles in the second half, after McKinley picked up his third foul with 17:30 to play. Wes Miller was forced to turn back to Halvine Dzellat, who had four fouls already despite playing the small-ball lineup with Baba Miller at the five. However, Dzellat would then foul out with 15:45 to go.

That is when Honor Huff took over for West Virginia, as the senior guard saw his first bucket of the night fall. Just like that, West Virginia was right back in the game following a personal twelve-point swing for Huff, with Cincinnati leading 40-37 with 12 minutes to play.

West Virginia took their first lead of the night following a made three from Treyson Eaglestaff. The Mountaineers went on a 21-3 run to silence the Bearcats' lead. In a matter of minutes, the momentum quickly shifted in favor of West Virginia.

The Mountaineers took a 50-47 lead with 2:30 to play after Honor Huff split a pair of free throws. Cincinnati cut the lead to one, following a pair of free throws from Miller. However, West Virginia responded with a three-pointer from DJ Thomas to extend the lead back to four.

Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Mountaineers' lead to six with just over a minute to play. Jizzle James responded with a crucial three-pointer for Cincinnati to spark some momentum down the final seconds, before a turnover from Jizzle James sealed the deal for West Virginia.

Up Next

The Bearcats (11-12, 3-7 Big 12) will be back in action on Sunday as they welcome UCF to Fifth Third Arena with tip-off set for 2pm.