There are moments in a season where things can look so bad you wonder how much worse things could get. With the Bearcats trailing 39-27 at halftime against Central Florida Saturday night, having already lost four of their last five games coming in, it felt like halftime was a pivotal moment in the Bearcats inaugural Big 12 season.
But the second half showcased the fight, resiliency and resolve of this Bearcats team.
“I’m obviously pleased our guys dug in and found a way to win,” said Bearcats head coach Wes Miller. “The quality to dig [in] and figure it out, stay together is way more important than anything x- and o-wise.”
Miller highlighted how much defense matters to him, and the Bearcats defense in the second half was as good as it has been all season. After getting outscored 33-12 over the last 16:39 of the first half, the Bearcats responded by outscoring Central Florida 41-18 in the second half.
It was an incredible effort. Sometimes on nights when the shots aren’t falling and all hope seems lost, the best way to dig yourselves out of that hole is to just string together defensive stops. That’s just what the Bearcats did, at one point holding the Knights scoreless for almost six minutes. And that was in a span from the 6:56 mark of the second half all the way down to the one-minute mark. After Central Florida shot 15-of-29 from the floor in the first half including 5-10 from three-point range, the Bearcats held the Knights to just 6-of-29 shooting in the second half and out-rebounded the Knights 23-12.
That last part is key. Playing without Viktor Lahkin, who had been battling an illness throughout the week leading up to the game, Cincinnati got seven rebounds each from Aziz Bandaogo, John Newman III and Dan Skillings Jr.. Ody Oguama also pulled down six rebounds off the bench, helping the Bearcats win the rebound battle 39-29.
