HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) — Simas Lukosius scored 18 points on six made 3-pointers and No. 18 Cincinnati held off Northern Kentucky 76-60 on Tuesday night.
Dillon Mitchell had 12 points for Cincinnati (4-0) and Jizzle James scored 11 with six assists. Northern Kentucky (0-4) was led by Sam Vinson who scored 16 points and Trey Robinson who had 12. Northern Kentucky committed 12 turnovers in the first half leading to 17 of the Bearcats' 32 points.
The Norse also had a 20-11 rebounding advantage and trailed by only 32-28. Cincinnati led by one point in the second half when Lukosius made three straight 3-pointers to help the Bearcats build a 54-45 lead with 11:50 left. Cincinnati: Day Day Thomas, last year's assists leader, made his season debut in the first half after missing the first three games recovering from a foot injury.
He had two points and four assists in 14 minutes. Northern Kentucky: The Norse allowed only 11 second-half points in a stunning 64-51 upset of Cincinnati at Truist Arena in 2022, but the Bearcats ran away from them on Tuesday. The Bearcats finally got some breathing room when Connor Hickman's 3-pointer with 9:22 remaining gave them a 57-47 lead, the largest of the night to that point.
Without second-leading rebounder Dan Skillings Jr. who's still recovering from knee surgery, the Bearcats struggled again on the boards. The Norse outrebounded them 30-27, 12-6 on the offensive end.
Cincinnati plays at Georgia Tech on Saturday, and Northern Kentucky hosts.