Winners and Losers from Cincinnati's 67-62 loss to No. 5 Houston
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats dropped their 10th consecutive game against on Saturday 67-62.
Check out our Winners and Losers from the home loss.
Winners
Jamille Reynolds had a great day for the Bearcats in the frontcourt after finishing with eight points and four rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Reynolds was a matchup to keep an eye on heading into this contest due to his physicality and size in the paint and would be an interesting matchup against a guy like J'Wan Roberts.
Reynolds set the tone for the Bearcats in the front court after Viktor Lakhin continued to struggle early, which quickly resulted in the Temple transfer seeing significant minutes early in this contest. The seven-footer took the roof off of Fifth Third Arena after a ferocious putback slam following a Dan Skillings missed three-point attempt late in the first half. That dunk quickly sent a message to the Bearcats as they finished the first half on a 15-2 run shortly after the dunk.
Reynolds has continued to show he is a valuable piece to this Bearcats team over the last three games, taking advantage of every opportunity he gets along the way. "Jamille gave us a big lift tonight," said UC head coach Wes Miller. "He continues to get better each and every day, which is not only a good sign for him but also our team."
Jizzle James
The freshman guard lived up to his potential here this afternoon despite having to take on the challenge of guarding one of the best point guards in all of college basketball, Jamal Shead. James came in and provided a huge spark right away in the first half and was quickly making it difficult for a guy like Shead to get anything going offensively.
Wes Miller has praised the work ethic of the talented point guard, and it was on full display tonight after finishing with 10 points, and three rebounds. The freshman also recorded a crucial block in the final minutes that sparked the Bearcats 7-0 run before the Cougars pulled away. He provided a huge spark on the offense end when the Bearcats desperately needed a basket and got by Shead with ease at times, including a fancy in-and-out move that had Shead caught off balanced resulting in an easy layup.
Hall of Fame coach Kelvin Sampson had high praise for the talented freshman following the game. "He doesn't look like a freshman, does he?" Sampson said. "He is so strong. I like his game a lot, and he's going to get much better. Jizzle will be someone that is going to be really good for them down the stretch."
John Newman III
The sixth-year forward continued to be the heart and soul of this Bearcats team following his double-double performance this afternoon. Newman finished with 10 points, and 10 rebounds, as well as another poster dunk over Joseph Tugler late in the second half.
On a night where Cincinnati struggled to rebound the basketball, Newman continued to step up when the team needed it the most like he has all season as his rebounding ability allowed Cincinnati to stay in this game.
Losers
Viktor Lakhin has continued to struggle since the UCF Game, a game he missed due to illness. The talented Russian forward played just 13 minutes this afternoon, with just three of those minutes coming in the second half. The Cougars did a great job eliminating Lakhin, as he was held scoreless for the first time this season. Lakhin has struggled to find his footing since returning to the lineup following the Central Florida game, but the Bearcats continue to instill their trust into the veteran forward as he looks to break this slump.
The Bearcats know what kind of team they are when Lakhin plays to his full potential as that has been something we have seen in spurts this season. They need Lakhin to be effective on both ends of the court.
Lakhin struggled on the defensive end this afternoon as J'Wan Roberts was able to dominate the paint behind his stellar 20-point and eight-rebound performance.
Catch Bearcats athletics action on fuboTV! Start your free trial here.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel on all things Bearcats athletics and Bearcat Blitz on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Make sure you bookmark All Bearcats for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.
You may also like:
Cincinnati Lands Walk-On Commitment From Local Two-Star 2024 Tight End Lyviel Waters
Winners And Losers From Cincinnati's 75-72 Victory Over No. 15 Texas Tech
The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Cincinnati’s Statement Win Over No. 15 Texas Tech
2025 Cincinnati Bearcats Football Target Adrian Holley Talks UC Offer
Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Pulls Off Huge Upset 75-72 Over No. 15 Texas Tech
Watch: Wes Miller, Simas Lukošius Address Media Following 75-72 Win Over Texas Tech
2025 Cincinnati Football Target Julien Horton Dives Deep Into Bearcats Offer
Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Suffers Brutal Loss to West Virginia 69-65
Look: Former Cincinnati Head Coach Bob Huggins Attends Game Against West Virginia
2025 Cincinnati Football Target Shekai Mills-Knight Talks Relationship With Bearcats
Local 2024 Linebacker Tofa Luani Commits to Cincinnati as Preferred Walk-On
Look: Big 12 Releases 2024 Football Schedule, Cincinnati's Full Slate
Winners And Losers From The Cincinnati Bearcats 68-57 Victory Over UCF
Watch: Tavis Kelce, Taylor Swift Embrace on Field Following 2024 AFC Championship Game
-----
Be sure to keep it locked on All Bearcats all the time!
Follow All Bearcats on Twitter: @AllBearcats
Like All Bearcats on Facebook: All Bearcats