Day Day Thomas scored 16 points to lead Cincinnati to a 72-55 second-half comeback win over visiting Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday.
Baba Miller had a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Moustapha Thiam also had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Shon Abaev and Keyshuan Tillery each chipped in nine points for the Bearcats (4-0).
Xavier Lipscomb scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Trey Deveaux added 11 points and Luke McEldon chipped in nine points for the Mountaineers (1-3).
The Bearcats trailed 36-30 at halftime. However, they forced 19 total turnovers, which led to 21 points. Cincinnati also held a 16-0 edge in fast-break points. The Bearcats took control of the game with a 19-2 second-half run.
The teams exchanged the lead throughout the first half. Mount St. Mary’s took a 20-18 lead when Xavier Lipscomb dribbled over a screen to get open and hit a three with under 11 minutes in the first half.
A wide-open Deveaux buried a deep three from the wing as the Mountaineers went up 31-23 with 5:54 left in the first half. As the Bearcats went over four minutes without a field goal, the Mountaineers took a 36-27 lead on McEldon’s hook shot late in the first half. A Tillery three snapped the Bearcats’ streak and capped the first half scoring.
After a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Sencire Harris reverse layup early in the second half, Cincinnati took a brief 42-41 lead. But the Mountaineers answered with a 7-0 scoring spurt that started with a Justin Amadi layup for a 48-42 advantage.
Abaev’s breakaway jam with 11:29 to play gave Cincinnati a 50-48 lead. After the Bearcats’ run, the Mountaineers closed within 61-52 on Deveaux’s dunk. It was the closest they’d get the rest of the way.
Later, Thiam’s fast-break dunk gave the Bearcats a commanding 68-52 lead with 3:09 to play.
