Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Drops Second Straight in 61-59 Loss to Monmouth

The Bearcats shot 45% from the free throw line.

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats men's basketball team hasn't entered any halftime locker room trailing so far this season but dropped their second game of three this week in a 61-59 loss against the Monmouth Hawks.

The MAAC earned its first top-10 victory ever this week when Iona toppled No. 10 Alabama. Monmouth drafted behind them to outlast Cincinnati in an ugly game at Fifth Third Arena.

Little brother beat big brother in the battle between Walker and Wes Miller. The 6-foot-10 forward scored 13 points and added four rebounds to round out an impressive performance from a team experiencing their best start in over 30 years.

"Obviously when you play against a family member you don't want to lose," Miller said postgame. "You don't want to lose to anybody, and sometimes you want to beat your family more than anyone in the world. I am happy for my brother. I am really proud of the player he has become...he had a difficult matchup with our size and we tried to make it tough on him. I thought he did a good job with that tonight and I am as happy for him that I am as mad at us."

Here's the Three Man Weave on the 61-59 loss to 5-1

Free Throw Woes

Wes Miller's crew came into the game with a lot of success from the line over the opening two weeks. After a third game in one week, the legs left Fifth Third Arena.

UC shot 45% from the free-throw line on Saturday (9-of-20). They approached that against Evansville in game one (47.1%) but were riding a four-game streak posting 80-plus percent from the line.

Of course, the game came down to those shots in a tight loss for UC, and they couldn't find conversions from two veterans. Mika Adams-Woods (11 points, five assists, three steals) played arguably the best game of any Bearcat but missed two free throws with just over three minutes left.

Senior transfer Hayden Koval then had a chance to tie the game at 61 with two free throws. The center missed the first and then purposely missed the second, but Cincinnati couldn't snag the rebound. Basketball can be a simple game, and for an offensively challenged team like Cincinnati, they simply must make their freebies.

Bearcats' Downtown Defense Cracks

Monmouth found a way to bust through one of the best three-point defenses in the country. Cincinnati came into the game allowing 24% from deep (16th nationally), but the Hawks canned 8-of-16 triples.

"We've got to be better," Miller said. "We've been better this year and I have to do a better job at preparing our team. The buck stops with me...I think we can take a step back and give credit to Monmouth. They played harder than us tonight. You got to give them credit and tip your cap to them."

The guard trio of George Papas (six points, five rebounds, four assists), Marcus McClary (game-high 18 points, six rebounds, three assists), and Shavar Reynolds (14 points, one rebound) all made multiple threes in the game. The trio played the best of any backcourt so far against Cincinnati, and the Bearcats couldn't answer on the other end, shooting 14.3% from deep (4-of-28).

Cincinnati has cracked 36% from downtown once so far this year. Junior guard Jeremiah Davenport came into the game leading the team in three-point percentage but is now 0-for-8 in his last two games.

Adams-Woods & Dejulius Take Backcourt Baton

The Bearcats backcourt has been a big reason why they've gotten off to a solid 5-2 start despite the loss to Monmouth. Adams-Woods and Dejulius showed once again that any player in that part of the rotation can play a strong role.

The Syracuse, NY, born Adams-Woods tied his season-high in assists and kept the Bearcats aggressive towards the rim while the outside shot wasn't falling. The early-season fatigue seeped in throughout the game; he finished a combined 1-of-8 from deep and the free-throw line.

Dejulius led the team with 13 points and brought elevated energy unlike any other UC player. The senior is cementing himself as the most consistent player on the Bearcats roster, and he'll try to bring a few more of his teammates along with him as the team heads into December.

The Bearcats get four days to rest before making the short drive to Oxford for a 7 p.m. Wednesday-tipoff against Miami.

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