After leading in the final minute, the Cincinnati Bearcats fell just short in a last-second 74-73 loss to the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night.
Cincinnati grabbed a 73-70 lead with less than a minute to go but Texas responded with back to back buckets to squeak out a thrilling victory.
Texas star guard Max Abmas knocked down a game-winning jumper in the final seconds and the Bearcats weren't able to beat the buzzer.
Wes Miller's team was hoping to secure a win in the Big 12 home opener but missed free throws and turnovers proved to be costly in the loss.
#Bearcats came up just short in a last-second 74-73 loss to 25th ranked Texas in the Big 12 home debut tonight. pic.twitter.com/3B2gW82VmW
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) January 10, 2024
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats fall short in last-second 74-73 loss to Texas
Bearcats guard Simas Lukosius had a season-high 19 points, and center Viktor Lakhin put up 17 points and four rebounds against Texas.
Cincinnati shot 8/15 from the free throw line including a miss by forward John Newman III just moments before Texas sealed the win.
It appeared the Bearcats were going to pick up a fifth straight win but a poor free throw shooting performance was just too much to overcome.
Texas forward Dylan Disu dominated throughout the game en route to dropping a career-best 33 points and six rebounds to lead the Longhorns.