Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats edge Evansville 76-58 in non-conference finale

After an underwhelming first half, the Cincinnati Bearcats eventually pulled away for a 76-58 win over the Evansville Purple Aces on Friday night!

Cincinnati forward John Newman III racked up a team-best 16 points to help the Bearcats remain undefeated at Fifth Third Arena this season.

Evansville took a 40-32 lead into the locker room before Cincinnati started the second half with a 35-10 run to regain momentum moving forward.

Wes Miller's team moved to 11-2 with the double digit victory and will get ready for conference play to officially get started in just over a week.

Bearcats veteran guard Simas Lukosius posted a season-high 15 points and six rebounds while knocking down 5/8 shots from 3-point territory.

Despite struggling on defense in the first half, Cincinnati held Evansville scoreless for eight minutes to create an insurmountable lead.

The Bearcats get a week off before returning to action in the long-awaited Big 12 opener at the BYU Cougars on Saturday, January 6 on ESPN2.

With a chance to close non-conference play with a win, Cincinnati outlasted Evansville and is set to enter Big 12 play with a 3-game win streak.