The University of Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball team made the trip across the river on Tuesday, for a rematch at Truist Arena attempting to avenge the 64-51 upset loss that happened almost two years to the day of this exciting matchup.
Much like that day two years ago, NKU fans and students alike filed into Truist Arena following tailgates sponsored by student organizations. These tailgates had the environment raucous well before the doors opened and carried over, as fans were deafening all the way through the game.
It looked like sunshine-filled seats, as fans showed out in their gold Norse gear to match the atmosphere of their last matchup at Truist. The band attempted to match the noise of the crowd pregame, as they played song after song, blasting fight songs and allowing the echo of the drums to fill the arena like a bubble.
Introductions only built this anticipation, as Norse fans all over waved their gold towels to light up the dark arena. Both teams were primed and ready to break this 1-1 series tie they have created the last two years.
Both teams started hot, as Sam Vinson looked like himself, earning six points within the first six minutes. The Bearcats were swiping their claws early, as two Jizzle James steals led to two huge dunks. James would continue his impactful night, as a beautiful behind-the-back pass from Simas Lukosius allowed James to hit UC’s first three of the night, and give them an early 11-8 lead.
The dimes continued, as Day Day Thomas kept the ball on a string, weaving through traffic and finding Dillon Mitchell in the paint for an easy lay to make it 13-8.
A jumper from Trey Robinson for his fourth point of the game made the score 20-16.
Both teams went scoreless for nearly the next three minutes, until Lukosius found the bottom of the net for his first three of the night, which extended the lead to 23-16.
Five quick points by Dan Gherezgher late in the first half, aiding in the nine total bench points by the Norse, capped off a 9-2 run pulling NKU within two of the Bearcats. The score stood at 27-25 with just under three minutes to play in the first half.
After five quick points in response from UC, Vinson came down the court with the chance to give this home crowd something to get on their feet about. After moving the ball around the floor and using the clock to their advantage, Vinson pulled up from beyond the arc and cashed in a three, giving him 11 first half points. Truist roared with excitement as Vinson threw up three fingers, as if to show off this momentous play like a trophy.
The Norse would head into half trailing the Bearcats 32-28, despite 12 turnovers. Neither team had attempted a free throw, but over 40% field goal shooting from each team made second-half excitement seem inevitable.
The Bearcats started the second half with a three pointer. The Norse responded quickly with a Keeyan Itejere putback and a Trey Robinson layup to cut the deficit to three.
The Norse would go back and forth trading baskets, as Josh Dilling connected on a three. The Bearcats responded with two free throws, which were surprisingly the first free throws of the game, despite the physical play.
The competitive action would continue with a Robinson dunk that cut the lead to just one for the Bearcats.
UC would go on a 10-4 stretch from that point as Itejere and Arrinten Page would trade dunks for their respective schools.
Lukosius would then end the Norse’s hopes for another Cinderella victory as he launched in a three pointer from near the NKU logo to go up by nine,and the Bearcats would never look back on their way to a 76-60 win.
Vinson had his best game of the season pouring in 16 points, his first time achieving double digit points since coming off the ACL injury. Robinson added 12 points on the night to continue his consistent season.
The Norse fall to 0-4 on their season and will look for their first win Saturday against Kentucky State. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. at Truist Arena and can also be seen on ESPN+.