No. 19 Cincinnati dominates Grambling State 84-49 to close out its non-conference schedule

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aziz Bandaogo scored 15 points and No. 19 Cincinnati extended its winning streak to four games with an 84-49 win over the Grambling State on Sunday.

Dillon Mitchell added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Day Day Thomas finished with 12 points for the Bearcats (10-1).

Ernest Ross scored 16 points, and Mikale Stevenson added 11 points and seven rebounds for Grambling (2-10), which lost its fifth straight game overall and seventh straight on the road.

Grambling closed the first half on a 9-0 run, cutting its deficit 37-24 at the break. But the Tigers were outscored 47-25 in the second half.

Takeaways

No. 19 Cincinnati dominates Grambling State 84-49 to close out its non-conference schedule | iNFOnews.ca — Cincinnati’s Arrinten Page, left, shoots over Grambling State’s Solomon Ray during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Grambling State: The Tigers struggled to find consistent offense and ball distribution, shooting just 34% from the field and committing 16 turnovers with 10 assists.

Cincinnati: Playing less than 48 hours after outlasting No. 22 Dayton on Friday night, the Bearcats jumped out to a 17-3 lead.

Key moment

Simas Lukosius hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to stretch the Bearcats’ lead to 44-29 with 17:26 left in the second half. It was the first of three straight made 3s for the Bearcats, giving them a 50-29 lead. The Bearcats used a 20-4 run to put the game out of reach.

Key stat