Three Man Weave: Bearcats Drop Key Road Battle Against Tulane 101-94 In Overtime

The Bearcats lost a 13-point lead as the wheels fell off in the second half.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (16-9, 7-4) fell in an overtime war 101-94 to the Tulane Green Wave on Tuesday.

UC lost Viktor Lakhin and Rob Phinisee to injury in the game as the team stamina ultimately wilted down the stretch. 

The great opening half defense turned into a layup line for Tulane to erase a deficit that grew as big as 13 points. Kevin Cross (27 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists) and Jalen Cook (27 points, 14 assists) carried that charge and put UC behind the 8-ball in the AAC standings.

Ody Oguama (16 points, career-high 13 rebounds) stepped in with a career game—yet disappeared in the final minutes, as did the entire frontcourt. Landers Nolley II (26 points, 8 rebounds) was sound in the second half, but UC needed more elsewhere.

Tempers got hot late in the game, leading to ejections for David DeJulius (12 points, 8 assists, 10th-straight game with 5-plus dimes) and Sion James (8 points, 8 rebounds). 

Wes Miller also got a late technical.

UPDATE: Miller said on his postgame radio spot with 700WLW that Rob Phinisee may have suffered a season-ending injury. Miller also updated Lakhin's status, saying they are hopeful it's a short-term sprained ankle.

The Bearcats have now lost two of the past three games against Tulane after one loss in AAC play before that.

Disaster Down The Stretch

The Bearcats felt Lakhin's absence when the game slowed down in the final 10 minutes of play. Tulane went on a 13-0 run over that stretch using their patented inside/free throw attack.

UC's only answer was three after three after three, at one point missing five consecutive deep tries in the final two minutes. One made basket could've won the game. Whether it was back door cuts, great screens, or punishing contact, Tulane leaned into its identity to storm back.

Things didn't work in the first half, but the Green Wave stuck with it to shoot an astounding 22-for-31 inside the arc during the second half and overtime. UC was already at a bit of a talent deficit in this game, the injuries blew that wide open.

Cincinnati resorted to a heavy diet of threes without inside depth. The 48 attempts tied a school record, as four of the top-eight games for made three-pointers in school history have come under Wes Miller. That's who this team wants to be offensively, defense is why the loss column added a number.

Jaylen Forbes (24 points, 7 rebounds) deserves mention as well. He rounded out a rare 24-plus point scoring trio allowed by the Bearcats.

Cross and Cook displayed all their skills to post 35 and 34 game efficiency scores. The Green Wave also took over sole possession of second place in the AAC.

Injury Bug Bites

Cincinnati has had to deal with a rash of injuries to start the season, and the bug bit again as the final stretch arrives. Lakhin and Phinisee both went down with lower body injuries.

There is no firm update on either as the game wrapped in Tulane, but Lakhin did return to the bench following his ailment. A good sign, but time, and Wes Miller will tell how serious both injuries are. 

Lakhin threw up some celebrations on the bench during the rest of the game, but was also on crutches with a wrap around his right ankle.

UC got by on defense with Phinisee throughout the season, but his minutes have been a glaring connector since the loss to Houston. The Bearcats' ceiling on the defensive side relies on him and John Newman III.

Unfortunately, that just hasn't been an option this season. Lakhin is a larger loss should he miss time, opening bigger chances for Oguama and Ezikpe.

The Russian is a more reliable game-to-game option, plus, it shreds up frontcourt depth when he can't play.

Cross Cooks

The Bearcats' defense played well in the first half, but Cross roasted them throughout the game. Tulane went to him when little else worked before their guard duo got going in the second half.

Cross had a lot of success rolling through the interior, especially once Lakhin went down with his injury. He and Cook were a nasty combo in the final 20 minutes.

UC went through a tough time deciding who to favor on the rumbles downhill, it allowed the 36th-ranked team nationally by two-point shooting to dabble in some bread-and-butter home offense.

Tulane pairs those rim attacks with great free-throw shooting. Cross put up his second-most made free throws of the season as a result (9-of-10). It's hard to win any game allowing 52 points in the paint and three 24-plus point outings.

Next up is South Florida at home this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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