Fueled by senior forward Jeremiah Davenport, the Bearcats built an early double digit lead and coasted to a crucial 70-61 win at Wichita State to improve to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in AAC play.
Despite coming off the bench for the first time in two years, Davenport scored a season-high 22 points, highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers to help Cincinnati take a 39-22 lead into halftime.
Wes Miller opted to replace Davenport with Ody Oguama to elevate defensive production and rebounding. Oguama finished with six rebounds and a team-high three blocks in the win.
The Bearcats were able to hold Wichita State to a season-low 22 points in the first half, plus the lineup change allowed Davenport to bring instant energy and a scoring punch off the bench.
Rollin' on the road. 🛣️@GoBearcatsMBB rolls over the Shockers in Wichita to pick up a key road win thanks to 22 points from Jeremiah Davenport and a double-double from Landers Nolley II.#Bearcats | @FifthThird pic.twitter.com/Fj3k8DBYlZ
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) January 6, 2023
Cincinnati Basketball: Jeremiah Davenport leads Bearcats to crucial road win at Wichita State
Viktor Lakhin racked up 14 points and nine rebounds, while Landers Nolley II compiled 12 points and 11 rebounds en route to surviving Wichita State’s second half run to secure the win.
Miller’s team has a chance to pick up another marquee win with first place Houston coming to town on Sunday but the Bearcats have lost four straight games against the AAC rival.
Coming off a loss to Temple, it was important to get back on track at Wichita State and Miller reacted to the critical conference win in a postgame press conference per Cincinnati Athletics.
"“Anytime you go on the road and get a win, you enjoy it. We played really well for 35 minutes, and I was real proud of the way we played after Temple a few days ago. We just need to get a little better at executing down the stretch and finishing games. We didn’t take good shots or get back on defense, which we did well the whole night. There is a lot to learn from the end of that game but now we can get some rest and get ready for a big-time game on Sunday.”"