Now for the Bearcats offensively, they have to continue to pound the ball inside to Viktor Lakhin and allow him to open the floor for guys like Nolley and DeJulius. The Bearcats were held to just 34% shooting, while the Tigers shot nearly 55% from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Viktor Lakhin would come out and score the first four points for the Bearcats in the second half after taking advantage of the mismatch with Kendric Davis on him. Lakhin, would follow right back with the steal and dunk in the open court as the 7 foot big man was showing he could do it all to start the second half. The Bearcats would make this a three-point game after consecutive triples from DeJulius and Jeremiah Davenport. All the momentum was favoring the Bearcats, as Jeremiah Davenport took a huge charge on the defensive end and came down and buried the triple to tie this game at 50 with 12:00 remaining.
The Tigers would take a 56-60 lead after a six-point run led by Kendric Davis started to open this one up again in favor of Memphis. Davis was looking to get to his spots and attack as the Tigers looked to build some momentum down the final part of the second half. The Tigers would spark a 9-point run as they made this a 59-53 game with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Bearcats would have some great opportunities to cut the Tigers lead, but just couldnt connect from deep. The Bearcats continued to establish the ball inside to Lakhin as the sophomore big man was continuing to bully Deandre Williams inside. The Bearcats would make this a 72-66 game with 46 seconds left after Nolley knocked down a huge three, as the Bearcats looked to get a quick turnover. The Tigers would prevail and hold on to defeat the Bearcats 75-68.
The Bearcats fall short to a very tough Memphis team despite a slow first half, the Bearcats fought till the end. The Bearcats were led by Viktor Lakhin who dominated on both ends of the floor tonight, as he recorded a new career high 22 points and 10 rebounds. The big man was dominating the paint and causing all types of problems for the Tigers this afternoon. Landers Nolley finished with 18 points in his first game vs his former team. Bearcats graduate guard David DeJulius did most of his damage from the free throw line as he finished with 15 points. Overall, the Bearcats missed some opportunities and foul trouble is what was the difference maker in this one.
The Bearcats are now (14-7, 5-3 AAC) as they now have a whole week to prepare for No. 1 Houston on Saturday.
