CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats outlasted UCF 76-74 on Saturday in another nail-biting finish in the Big 12. Cincinnati led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but their massive rebounding advantage didn’t keep things comfortable (45-33).
It marked a crucial Quad 1 win that Cincinnati needed as the regular season starts to wind down and a season sweep of the Knights. Dan Skillings Jr. (15 points, eight rebounds) led UC in scoring, while Darius Johnson (16 points, five assists) led UCF.
Cincinnati is now 5-7 in conference play as they gun for a .500 finish or better in Big 12 play.
Skillings Starts The Fire…Then Extinguishes
Cincinnati’s go-to sixth man got the call as a starter for the fifth time this season and helped Cincinnati start strong and own the glass throughout the game in Orlando.
Skillings essentially filled in for Viktor Lakhin (who did not play a full minute in the game) in the starting lineup and connected the offense well to clean up the glass for easy scores and hunt contact. He didn’t shoot the ball very well, but his energy was key, to go with some strong defense as well (one block, one steal).