Following a pair of disappointing performances, the Bearcats capped off the Maui Invitational with an 81-62 win against Louisville in the 100th all-time meeting with the former Big East Conference rival.
It marked the first matchup between the longtime rivals since 2014 as both programs looked to snap a losing streak and get a win in the Maui Invitational before heading back to campus this weekend.
After struggling early this week, David DeJulius tied a career-high with 26 points, highlighted by a buzzer beater from beyond the arc to give the Bearcats a 31-30 lead heading into the halftime break.
Cincinnati started the second half with back to back buckets including a triple from DeJulius before going on a quick 11-0 run to take a double digit lead over Louisville with a dunk from Viktor Lakhin.
DOWN GOES LOUISVILLE‼️@GoBearcatsMBB gets back on the right side of the rivalry with a dominant second half, beating the Cardinals 81-62 to close out the Maui trip.#Bearcats | @FifthThird pic.twitter.com/sLYvMEfHRh
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) November 24, 2022
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats cap off Maui Invitational with blowout over Louisville
Landers Nolley bounced back from a disappointing shooting night with 21 points and four rebounds to help take down Louisville, while Lakhin added 12 points, four rebounds and two steals in the win.
Wes Miller’s team will get nearly a week off before returning to the court against New Jersey Tech next Wednesday with a chance to improve to 5-3 and stay undefeated at Fifth Third Arena this season.
Following the win over Louisville, Miller reflected on the Maui Invitational trip per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“I was really proud of how they handled today. It wasn’t easy early. It could have been a little frustrating early. We just stayed together, stuck with it and it was good to see it kind of happen for us in the second half. Our team needs to embrace the defensive end of the floor for 40 minutes. We need to put our body on the ball. We talked about that a lot last night. We got to do a better job as a staff and as coaches of putting these guys in the right position to make plays and do what they do. We’ll do that as we get some practice time.”"