Cincinnati Basketball: Takeaways from the Bearcats disappointing loss against Temple

There are several reasons why the Bearcats were unable to beat Temple yesterday including allowing an extended run in the first half, inconsistent offense and Viktor Lakhin’s foul trouble.

After jumping out to an early lead, Cincinnati gave up a 15-0 run and trailed 37-29 at halftime. Despite getting within two points later on, the Bearcats couldn’t keep pace in the 70-61 loss.

Lakhin picked up his third foul late in the first half and was on the bench as Temple regained the lead. It was a costly mistake as the Bearcats were dominated in the paint during Lakhin’s absence.

Ody Oguama has been great off the bench in recent weeks but plays better alongside Lakhin. It’s difficult for the Bearcats to protect the rim, rebound and score inside without Lakhin on the floor.

Cincinnati Basketball: Takeaways from the Bearcats disappointing loss against Temple

Wes Miller’s team struggles to score at times but it’s nearly impossible to win on the road after conceding a 15-0 run. Temple took the lead with 5:24 left in the first half and never relinquished it.

In addition to shooting just 38.3% from the field, Cincinnati was outscored off the bench (20-2) and outrebounded (46-28) in the loss at Temple after coming into the matchup as slight favorites.

If the Bearcats are going to compete for a first round bye in the AAC Tournament, they must play more consistently away from Fifth Third Arena after falling to 0-2 in true road games this year.

Cincinnati will remain on the road at Wichita State scheduled for Thursday night before returning home for a highly-anticipated matchup against the 2nd-ranked Houston Cougars next Sunday.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats struggle to keep pace in first conference slip up at Temple

Despite entering the new year riding a 4-game win streak, the Bearcats weren’t able to keep up in a 70-61 loss at Temple on Sunday afternoon as the offense struggled to create quality looks.

Cincinnati took a 27-20 lead in the first half before Temple went on a 15-0 run to grab a 37-29 lead at halftime. The Bearcats never led again and trailed by as much as 13 points in the loss.

After getting off to quick start, sophomore big man Viktor Lakhin was called for his second foul and was sidelined as Temple preceded to go on a game-changing run to regain the lead.

Landers Nolley II scored a team-best 15 points and four rebounds, while David DeJulius added 13 points in the loss. Lakhin reached double figures with 11 points for the 11th straight game.