Led by four double-figure scorers, No. 16 Cincinnati posted a pair of 10-point runs in the first half in a 77-59 win over visiting Alabama State on Wednesday.
Simas Lukosius had 16 points on four 3-pointers and dished out four assists for the Bearcats (6-0), who led by as many as 27 but shot below 50 percent (44.9) for the first time all season.
Jizzle James (13 points, eight rebounds, five assists), Dillo Mitchell (10 points, eight rebounds) and Aziz Bandaogo (10 points, nine rebounds) rounded out Cincinnati’s high-scoring group.
Amarr Knox led Alabama State (3-4) with a game-high 24 points and added five rebounds. He was held to only seven second-half points as the Hornets shot 6-for-28 from the field after the intermission.
Jalen Keago’s 12 points came on the strength of three 3-pointers to shave 10 points off the Hornets’ deficit in the final four-plus minutes.
After Knox’s opening jumper, James banged down a 3-pointer before connecting with Bandaogo connected for an alley-oop dunk to complete the Bearcats’ initial 10-point swing.
Knox scored 12 of Alabama State’s first 19 points, first bringing the visitors within three after his triple with 12:38 left before halftime. Page’s three-point play helped the Bearcats respond with a 5-0 spurt, but Ubong Okon and Knox hit consecutive shots to make it 23-19 at the halfway point.
Cincinnati seized full control as Mitchell’s first of two breakaway dunks fueled a 10-4 run. The Texas transfer’s two layups in four seconds started the latter 10-0 outburst.
Arrinten Page’s slam with 2:05 left upped the Bearcats’ lead to 18, but Knox’s personal 5-0 run trimmed off five points in the final 54 seconds for a 46-33 halftime score.
After Alabama State’s TJ Medlock opened the second-half scoring with two free throws at the 18:36 mark, the hosts rattled off a 12-1 run.
That stretch saw the visitors begin the latter period in a funk from the field, ending with a Knox layup with 11:42 to go.
The Bearcats added to their lead after the 8:00 mark as Lukosius hit an open three to spark his 5-0 stretch before Bandaogo’s quick pair of dunks.
A second Lukosius trey with 4:21 remaining gave Cincinnati its largest lead.
