Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats pull away from Hofstra to secure a spot in NIT quarterfinals

Wes Miller’s team pulled away in the second half and eventually picked up a 79-65 win over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon to secure a spot in the upcoming NIT quarterfinals!

Bearcats frontcourt duo Viktor Lakhin and Ody Oguama were dominant against the undersized Pride, combining for 30 points and 19 rebounds on 76.5 percent shooting from the field.

Cincinnati senior forward Landers Nolley II totaled a game-high 20 points and six rebounds, while senior guard David DeJulius added 15 points and nine assists in the second round win.

Just moments after Hofstra tied it late in the first half, Oguama threw down an alley-oop from Mika Adams-Woods to regain the lead and send the Bearcats into halftime with momentum.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats pull away from Hofstra to secure a spot in NIT quarterfinals

In addition to taking advantage of the distinct size mismatch, the Bearcats frustrated Hofstra’s backcourt as Aaron Estrada and Tyler Thomas combined for 34 points on 38 shot attempts.

After struggling on the road at times, Cincinnati was able to take down Hofstra and will look to keep the season alive against Colorado or Utah Valley in the NIT quarterfinals next week.

During the postgame press conference, Miller broke down the Bearcats impressive win over Hofstra and explained why Oguama’s energy set the tone early on via Cincinnati Athletics.

"“I told our guys before the game that we are playing a team that went 16-2 in a mid-major conference. I spent 10 years in the Southern Conference, which is similar to the Colonial. If you go 16-2 and win the regular season, you’re a heck of a team. Our guys showed a lot of maturity by taking them seriously. I thought the last couple of days we got back to what we’ve been about all year. I was as happy as a clam that we had a great day of practice yesterday. I liked how we came out and defended in the second half. They gave great effort. Ody set a tone on the offensive and defensive glass, and gave us a punch on our ball-screen defense.”"