CINCINNATI — Day Day Thomas scored 19 points to lead Cincinnati, which has lost two straight after winning its first 16 games, to a 79-70 victory on Saturday against No. 2 Iowa State.
Milan Momcilovic scored a career-high 34 points and hit eight 3-pointers for the Cyclones (16-2, 3-2 Big 12), who are looking to bounce back from an 84-63 victory over Kansas on Tuesday.
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But a desperate Cincinnati team made things difficult, forcing 12 turnovers and widening the deficit to 20 points. Iowa State trailed Kansas by 26 points and 17 points on Saturday.
Gizle James scored 15 points and Sencil Harris and Jalen Celestine had 12 apiece for Cincinnati (10-8, 2-3), which has won two straight after an 0-3 start to the league.
Celestine’s consecutive three-pointers gave the Bearcats a 16-8 lead. Daidai Thomas hit a three-pointer and the score was 19-8.
The Bearcats hit six 3-pointers in the first half. Mustapha Thiam’s three-pointer gave them a 35-24 lead.
Iowa State, which leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, made just one of its first seven 3-point attempts. They completed 9 of 21 games, 8 of which were scored by Momsilovic.
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Momsilovic hit his first three-pointer with 1:38 left in the first half, helping the Cyclones trail by 11 points at halftime, 35-31.
At the beginning of the second half, Joshua Jefferson’s layup tied the score at 38. But Cincinnati responded with an 11-0 run. Jefferson scored 16 points.
Thomas hit a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper to give the Bearcats a 54-42 lead. His third three-pointer of the night made it 67-50.
Iowa State responded with a 14-2 run. Momsilovich scored nine of those points to cut the Cyclones’ deficit to 69-64 with 4:38 left. But Cincinnati held on.
Cincinnati led 0-6 heading into four games and head coach Wes Miller was loudly booed during pregame introductions.
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Iowa State: Host UCF on Tuesday.
Cincinnati: Visits No. 1 Arizona State on Wednesday.
