Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats fall short at Indiana State in NIT quarterfinals

A run to the NIT quarterfinals came to an end as the Cincinnati Bearcats came up short 85-81 at the Indiana State Sycamores on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati took a 36-32 lead at halftime and led by as much as eight points before Indiana State held on down the stretch to survive at home.

It appeared the Bearcats were going to secure a spot in the NIT semifinals for the first time since 1955 until Indiana State stormed back to win.

Wes Miller's team has completed the inaugural campaign in the Big 12 with a 22-15 record after picking up a pair of wins in the NIT this month.

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats fall short at Indiana State in NIT quarterfinals

Bearcats freshman guard Jizzle James posted 21 points, while forward Daniel Skillings Jr had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the narrow loss.

Cincinnati forward Simas Lukosius scored a game-high 26 points en route to eclipsing the 1,000-point milestone throughout his career.

During a postgame press conference tonight, Miller reflected on the Bearcats season-ending loss against Indiana State via Bearcat Journal.

"I thought we were in position to win the game. We just couldn't close it out. We've been in that situation multiple times during this season."