After trailing at halftime, the Cincinnati Bearcats stormed back to beat the BYU Cougars 71-60 to secure the first ever Big 12 victory on Saturday!
BYU jumped out to a 31-24 lead heading into the locker room before the Bearcats took over in the second half en route to picking up a historic win.
Cincinnati veteran center Viktor Lakhin put up a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, while point guard Jizzle James compiled 12 points.
The memorable victory marked a monumental moment for the program as Wes Miller's team opened the initial Big 12 play on a high note.
#Bearcats open the inaugural Big 12 schedule with an impressive 71-60 win at 12th ranked BYU tonight!https://t.co/bn05BF0Qq3 pic.twitter.com/RPjszsX4GX
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) January 7, 2024
Cincinnati Basketball: Bearcats beat BYU 71-60 to secure first ever Big 12 win
Bearcats center Aziz Bandaogo returned from a recent injury with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench including a game-sealing slam dunk!
Miller broke down the defensive execution and reflected on the historic victory in a postgame press conference from Cincinnati Athletics.
"Everything defensively was the catalyst for us. It kept us in the game early and in the second half, we were able to string together stops."
The Bearcats will look to keep the win streak going in the Big 12 home opener against the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night at home.