The Bearcats ended the half on a five-to-zero run after Dan Skillings continued to be in the giving spirit, as he was giving out nothing but buckets this evening. The Bearcats took a 38-33 lead to the break following 16 first half points from Skillings on a perfect 6-6 FG. 12 of those 16 came from behind the arch as the sophomore guard struggled to shoot the ball from deep this season, 21% heading into this one, safe to say he has found his groove.
Jamille Reynolds also chimed in with eight points on a perfect 3-3 shooting as the Bearcats were looking to play physical inside in the post. The Bearcats finished the first half with shooting splits of 56%/38%/75% in the first half. The Bearcats held Jalen Blackman to just 10 points on 4-11 FG, while holding Aubin Gateretse to just 2 points on one field goal attempt. The Bearcats found ways to attack the zone early, but they needed to find some more rhythm outside of Skillings and Reynolds who combined for 24 of the Bearcats 38 first half points.
The Bearcats controlled Stetson as they held 43-41 lead with 15:53 remaining in the second half after Oglsby got to the rack and finished through contact. The Bearcats opened the gates a little big after a six-point run, but they lost CJ Fredrick in the process. Jamille Reynolds decided he was going to let Fifth Third know he can let the three-ball fly after burying his first three-point attempt of the season to extend the Bearcats lead to 52-41 with 12:21 left in the second half.
CJ Fredrick would check back in the game shortly after a quick visit with Bob Mangine after looking to tweak that same hamstring that kept him out of Tuesday’s contest vs Merrimack. Fredrick found Lakhin for the post entry within seconds after checking back in to give the Bearcats an eight-point lead. Viktor Lakhin continued to dominate the paint as him and Jamille Reynolds together were just playing bully ball inside here in the second half.
The Hatters weren’t shying away those as they trailed the Bearcats 63-58 with 7:43 remaining as Jalen Blackman started to find his grove leading all scorers with 21 points. Day-Day Thomas would slash the Hatters defense and draw a foul on Treyton Thompson taking some hard contact along the way. A foul that would be called a flagrant one due to the contact above the neck, resulting in a four-point momentum changing run for the Bearcats.
A big scuffle broke out late in the second half as the Bearcats led the Hatters 74-66. Both benches emptied as players and coaches had to be separated after Treyton Thompson and Jamille Reynolds exchanged some words. Viktor Lakhin came in to address the shoving and the mess was on from there as both teams had to be separated by the coaching staffs of each respected team.
Treyton Thompson was eventually ejected, while double technical were called on Viktor Lakhin and Jamille Reynolds. A lot to unpack there following a little scuffle but you can defiantly feel the tempers flaring here at Fifth Third Arena down the final stretch.
Dan Skillings continued to give the Hatters some trouble as he continued to carry the Bearcats after cleaning up the glass to make this a 77-69 game with 1:53 remaining. Jalen Blackman continued to will the Hatters down the stretch as every time the Bearcats seemed to put this one out of reach, the junior guard brought them right back after a three point play made this a 81-75 game with 39 seconds left.
The Bearcats held on to improve to 10-2 after defeating the Hatters 83-75 behind a career day from Dan Skillings. However, it may not have been pretty but that was a game the Bearcats needed heading into conference play.
Up Next
The Bearcats (10-2) will be back in action next Friday, December 29th when they welcome in Evansville to Fifth Third Arena for their non-conference finale.
