Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats survive thrilling overtime win in NIT opener

Cincinnati Bearcats host San Francisco Dons in 2024 NIT at Fifth Third Arena
Cincinnati Bearcats host San Francisco Dons in 2024 NIT at Fifth Third Arena / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
facebooktwitterreddit

A game-winning shot from Cincinnati Bearcats forward Simas Lukosius secured a thrilling win over the San Francisco Dons in the NIT opener!

Cincinnati was on the edge of having the season come to a disappointing ending before Lukosius connected on a last-second triple to stay alive.

Lukosius finished with a team-high 28 points on 8/10 shooting from beyond the arc, highlighted by a buzzer-beating jumper in the final seconds.

Wes Miller's team improved to 21-14 with a win and will advance to meet the Bradley Braves in the NIT second round on Saturday afternoon!

Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats survive thrilling overtime win in NIT opener

Cincinnati forward Daniel Skillings Jr posted 16 points and eight rebounds, and freshman guard Jizzle James added 11 points in the narrow win.

During a postgame press conference tonight, Miller broke down the game-winning shot and reacted to the 73-72 win over San Francisco!

“Another big time shot. Having somebody at the end of games that you know wants the ball and has come through. I'm really proud of this dude."

It appeared the Bearcats were going to be taken out in the NIT opening round but Lukosius saved the day with an unforgettable postseason finish!

Cincinnati Bearcats host Bradley Braves in NIT

Date: March 23 at 2:00 PM

Location: Fifth Third Arena

Series: Bearcats lead 19-14

TV: ESPN+ and FuboTV

Next. Cincinnati Basketball: San Francisco can create problems for the Bearcats. Cincinnati Basketball: San Francisco can create problems for the Bearcats. dark