BYU Crushes Cincinnati Behind Efficient Offensive Performance
Jan 25, 2025, 11:12 PM | Updated: Jan 27, 2025, 11:13 am
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball had a perfect week in Big 12 play as they followed up a win at Colorado with a victory over Cincinnati on Saturday night.
The Cougars defeated the struggling Bearcats 80-52 in front of 17,483 fans at the Marriott Center.
Final: BYU 80, Cincinnati 52.
BYU improves to 4-4 in Big 12 play. pic.twitter.com/UGYnGJfFZP
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 26, 2025
BYU was lights out from three-point range, shooting 62.5% from beyond the arc against a Cincinnati team that boasts one of the top three-point defenses in the country.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, couldn’t buy a shot from 3-point range, shooting 18%.
Richie Saunders scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Saunders had another efficient night, knocking down 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Cincinnati’s leading scorer was Simas Lukosius, who scored 14 points behind 4-of-8 from three.
BYU outrebounded Cincinnati 34-28.
The win improves BYU’s Big 12 record to 4-4, and 13-6 overall.
Cincinnati falls to 2-6 in conference play.
First Half
16:12 – The game’s first basket was from Cincinnati center Aziz Bandaogo. Then BYU’s Trevin Knell continued his hot shooting ways from last year against the Bearcats, getting BYU on the board with a corner three.
Cincinnati attempted six three-pointers in the opening stretch of play, only hitting one. BYU was getting outrebounded 4-0 in the early going on the offensive glass. The first stoppage took place after Cincy’s Dillon Mitchell took a hard fall to the floor after attempting to grab another offensive board for Cincy. BYU 5, Cincinnati 5.
11:51 – BYU’s Richie Saunders had an opportunity for what looked to be a wide-open slam dunk, but Cincy’s Mitchell came out of nowhere to come up with the block. The officials called no foul.
Dallin Hall stepped in for Egor Demin after Demin committed a turnover. Hall had two shot attempts at the rim that didn’t fall. Cincinnati 10, BYU 9.
7:16 – Aziz Bandaogo was called for a rim violation on a made bucket by Cincinnati. BYU coach Kevin Young was not going to let the refs off the hook if they didn’t call that. BYU 21, Cincinnati 14.
3:17 – Dawson Baker’s floater is on point with three made baskets for six points.
While Baker has knocked down three field goals, three Cincinnati players (Dillon Mitchell, Simas Lukosius, and Jizzle James) have had airballs to this point of the game. BYU’s student section, The ROC, have consistently reminded them. BYU 23, Cincy 18.
Halftime: BYU 28, Cincinnati 23
Egor Demin buried a three with five seconds remaining before the half to give BYU the five-point advantage over the Bearcats.
Demin had five points, three assists, and three rebounds in 13 minutes in the first half.
Second Half
18:00 – BYU jumped out to a strong start out of the halftime break. The Cougars knocked down three 3-pointers, led by Richie Saunders hitting two. BYU outscored Cincy 10-3 in the first two minutes of the half. BYU 38, Cincy 26.
15:25 – Cincinnati had a two-minute scoring drought. BYU’s defense was putting the clamp down on the Bearcats. BYU 42, Cincy 28.
11:21 – The Bearcats had some success getting to the rim, including a fastbreak layup from Dillon Mitchell, but BYU star Richie Saunders answered Cincy’s run with his fourth three. BYU 50, Cincy 35.
8:04 – Richie Saunders continues to stack up his case for being an All-Big 12 performer this season. He knocked down another three. Then the efficient offensive play continued for BYU as Kanon Catchings got in the mix hitting a three, followed by another Dawson Baker floater in the paint. BYU 60, Cincy 42.
2:14 – Kanon Catchings received a nice ovation from the Marriott Center crowd when he was subbed out after knocking down a pair of three-pointers. Catchings reached his highest point total since December 31 against Arizona State. BYU 71, Cincy 46.
Final: BYU 80, Cincinnati 52
BYU freshman guard Elijah Crawford made a three-point attempt before the final horn went off, and the shot counted after officials reviewed it. Based on his attempt, it looked like he thought the clock had already expired, but instead, it was a last-second three that added to BYU’s hot shooting performance.
Up Next for BYU Basketball
BYU hosts Baylor on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center. The Bears won in Salt Lake City on Saturday at Utah. Baylor is on a two-game winning streak and is 5-3 in Big 12 play.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
