Fueled by another high-scoring performance, the Cincinnati Bearcats took down the Tulane Green Wave 88-77 and improved to 10-4 in the AAC opener on Thursday at Fifth Third Arena.
Bearcats senior forward Landers Nolley II scored a game-high 23 points on 5/9 shooting from beyond the arc, plus senior guard Mika Adams-Woods added 18 points and six assists.
After trailing in the opening minute, Cincinnati responded with a 10-0 run to build a double digit lead and eventually take a 45-35 lead into halftime. Nolley totaled 14 points in the first half.
Wes Miller’s team had all five starters score in double figures as Viktor Lakhin compiled 13 points and 13 rebounds, while David DeJulius and Jeremiah Davenport combined for 23 points in the win.
Sending 2022 out on a high note ✌️
— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) December 30, 2022
Nolley tallies 23, leading five Bearcats in double figures as we open AAC play victorious! #Bearcats | #TheMovement pic.twitter.com/SAHfRjF0xf
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats take down Tulane 88-77 in conference opener
Despite being outscored in the paint, the Bearcats held off Tulane’s comeback attempt in the second half to extend the 4-game win streak and start conference play with a victory.
In addition to getting off to a quick start in the opening minutes, Cincinnati consistently shared the ball and played with impressive defensive intensity en route to pulling away from Tulane.
The Bearcats will return to action on Sunday at Temple with a chance to stay unbeaten in AAC play. Miller reacted to the win over Tulane in a postgame press conference per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“Any league win is a good win. That’s a really good basketball team. They’re a really good offensive team. I thought we did a nice job early in the game of being in a stance defensively, playing with purpose and really working to make shots difficult around the basket. I thought that led to opportunities for us to get out and share the ball. There’s a lot of offensive threats on the floor. Everybody is a threat and that makes you better offensively. We have a lot of firepower out there but we have to get more consistent offensively. I do think we have the ability to be a good offensive team.”"