Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats ride hot shooting night to runaway win against Detroit Mercy
By Charles Post
As non-conference play continues, the Cincinnati Bearcats rode a hot shooting night to secure the 93-61 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans tonight.
Cincinnati had six players hit double figures including CJ Fredrick, John Newman III and Jizzle James leading the way with a combined 40 points and 11 rebounds.
Everything seemed to go in for Wes Miller’s team in the first half, shooting 13/21 from 3-point range as Fredrick and Newman each made three triples.
Fredrick led the way with a team-best 14 points on 4/5 shooting from outside in just 19 minutes, going a perfect 3/3 from 3-point range in the first half.
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats ride hot shooting to win over Detroit Mercy
Detroit Mercy wasn’t able to find success against Cincinnati’s stout defensive outing, shooting just 37.5 percent from the field with 15 turnovers.
Even though the competition level hasn’t been great, the Bearcats have picked up a pair of double digit wins over quality opponents to open the campaign.
In addition to having a hot shooting night, Cincinnati doubled up the Titans in total assists and rebounds en route to starting the season with a 2-0 record.
Wes Miller’s team jumped out to an 8-0 advantage and took a 60-27 lead into the locker room before eventually coasting to a blowout on Friday night.
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats take down Detroit Mercy 93-61 behind hot shooting
Bearcats sophomore forward Dan Skillings Jr joined the 3-point party in the second half as well en route to scoring 11 points and eight boards off the bench.
Cincinnati is set to return to the court against the Eastern Washington Eagles on Sunday afternoon inside of Fifth Third Arena before getting a week off.
During the postgame press conference, Miller broke down the Bearcats win over Detroit Mercy and the second half performance per Cincinnati Athletics.
The Bearcats led 60-27 at halftime after ending the first half on a 12-0 scoring run before Detroit Mercy outscored Cincinnati by one point in the second half.
"“I think that there’s a lot we can learn from the second half tonight. There’s also a lot we can take away from playing well in the first half. The minute we don’t stay focused or locked in, it won’t matter what our gifts are. I was pretty pissed off in our second half performance but this time of year is about learning and growing. I think that there’s a lot we can learn from the second half tonight. There’s also a lot we can take away from playing well in the first half.”"