Cincinnati passes Oklahoma State with 3-point shooting

Day Day Thomas got hot from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and had 15 rebounds, and host Cincinnati earned a 91-68 home win over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), who entered the game ranked 54th in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each had 11 points for Cincinnati.

Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Farsa Falla to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, was dominated throughout. Victorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.

The Bearcats jumped out to a 12-4 lead less than four minutes into the game on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers by Thomas and Thiam.

Those early moments foreshadowed the rest of the game.

Cincinnati held the advantage in the first half, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor and made 7 3-pointers in the first half, winning the rebound battle 20-15. It ended with Thiam’s two-handed dunk. Miller received an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.

The Bearcats pulled away in the second half. They went on an 11-2 run, and Thomas’ 3-pointer gave them a 65-37 lead with less than 15 minutes left. Cincinnati continued to extend its lead as Thomas added a 3-pointer with 8:22 to go, reaching 32 points for an 81-49 advantage.

Cincinnati hit 14 3-pointers, had 24 assists and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati is ranked no. 19 hosts BYU and Oklahoma State hosts UCF.

–Field level media