Simas Lukosius, Jizzle James each score 19 points and No. 17 Cincinnati beats Nicholls State 86-49
Simas Lukosius buries 3 against Nicholls Colonels
Simas Lukosius buries 3 against Nicholls Colonels
CINCINNATI -- — Simas Lukosius had 19 points including five 3-pointers, Jizzle James scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and No. 17 Cincinnati eased by Nicholls State 86-49 on Friday night.
Dillon Mitchell had 12 points and nine rebounds and Arrinten Page added 11 points for Cincinnati, which returned after a week off following an 83-56 victory over Morehead State on Nov. 8.
The Bearcats have now started 3-0 in each of Wes Miller’s four years at the helm. He earned his 250th win last Friday.
Jamal West Jr. scored 12 points to lead Nicholls State (2-3).
Nicholls State coach Tevon Saddler played for Miller at UNC-Greensboro from 2013-15, earning Southern Conference freshman of the year honors. Saddler, at 29, is the youngest Division I coach in the nation.
Cincinnati was without Dan Skillings Jr., its leading scorer and rebounder last season, after he suffered a knee injury in a season-opening win when he finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Cincinnati did not miss Skillings as the Bearcats shot 54% and outrebounded Nicholls State 46-32. Aziz Bandaogo, a 7-foot senior had four of Cincinnati's 14 blocked shots.
Cincinnati pulled away midway through the first half when Page started a 9-0 run with five straight points and Bandaogo made a basket on back-to-back possessions for a 25-12 lead. The Bearcats led by double figures the rest of the way.
Cincinnati held Nicholls State to 26% shooting in the first half to build a 42-22 lead. The Colonels, who didn’t have a double-digit scorer until the 13:24 mark of the second half, finished 21 of 69 from the field (30%).
Nicholls State plays host to Towson on Wednesday.
Cincinnati plays at Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.
------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Game Information
- Referees:
- Mike Roberts
- Chance Moore
- Tommy Johnson
2024-25 Southland Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls | 2-0 | - | 7-5 |
| Lamar | 2-0 | - | 6-6 |
| Northwestern State | 2-0 | - | 5-6 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Incarnate Word | 1-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 1-1 | 1 | 7-6 |
| Houston Christian | 1-1 | 1 | 4-8 |
| McNeese | 0-0 | 1 | 5-5 |
| SE Louisiana | 0-1 | 1.5 | 6-6 |
| New Orleans | 0-1 | 1.5 | 2-8 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 0-2 | 2 | 6-6 |
| East Texas A&M | 0-2 | 2 | 2-11 |
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State | 0-0 | - | 9-1 |
| Cincinnati | 0-0 | - | 9-1 |
| Arizona State | 0-0 | - | 9-2 |
| BYU | 0-0 | - | 9-2 |
| Colorado | 0-0 | - | 9-2 |
| Texas Tech | 0-0 | - | 9-2 |
| UCF | 0-0 | - | 9-2 |
| West Virginia | 0-0 | - | 8-2 |
| Kansas | 0-0 | - | 8-2 |
| Houston | 0-0 | - | 8-3 |
| Utah | 0-0 | - | 8-3 |
| Baylor | 0-0 | - | 7-3 |
| Oklahoma State | 0-0 | - | 7-3 |
| Kansas State | 0-0 | - | 6-4 |
| TCU | 0-0 | - | 6-4 |
| Arizona | 0-0 | - | 6-5 |
Men's College Basketball News