By Marisol Nicholas
December 22, 2023
BOX SCORE
https://gobearcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11424
CINCINNATI – Daniel Skillings Jr. and Jamille Reynolds combined to score 41 points off the bench to lead the Cincinnati men’s basketball team to an 83-75 victory over Stetson on Friday night at Fifth Third Arena.
Skillings scored a career-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second career double-double. It marked the most points by a UC reserve since at least 2010, as well as the most in a double-double since Troy Caupain in 2016 (37-10 over 56 minutes against UConn).
Reynolds scored a season-best 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The pair combined to make all nine of their shot attempts in the first half. Overall, the duo shot 16 of 21 (76%) and made 5 of 7 3-point attempts (71%).
Point guard Day Day Thomas added 15 points and Viktor Lakhin scored 12 as the Bearcats improved to 9-2 on the season. Guard CJ Fredrick buried a pair of triples and dished a career-best seven assists.
Stetson (7-6) was led by Jalen Blackmon, who scored 32 points.
Cincinnati shot 52% from the field and held a commanding 40-24 edge on the glass and a 46-7 advantage in points off the bench.
Stetson raced out to a 10-2 lead in the game’s first three minutes and forced Cincinnati to call an early timeout following a 3-pointer from Blackmon.
However, Skillings and Reynolds came off the bench red hot, combining to go 9 of 9 from the field and scoring 25 of UC’s 38 first-half points.
Trailing 12-6, the duo entered the game and went to work.
Skillings forced a Stetson shot clock violation with suffocating defense and swished a pair of 3-pointers, including a corner trey off a perfect pass from Reynolds.
Reynolds used an array of post moves to make his first three field goal attempts from the block and also drilled two free throw attempts during a 16-3 Cincinnati run.
Freshman guard Jizzle James capped the run with a fastbreak layup that put the Bearcats in control, 22-15, at the 10:47 mark of the first half.
Stetson fought back behind Blackmon, who scored 10 points in the first half. His 3 kept Stetson within one point, 25-24, with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Skillings pushed Cincinnati back in front by 8 with a thunderous dunk and his third swish from behind the arc. He added a fourth 3 en route to 16 points before the break as the Bearcats led 38-33 at halftime.
A 3-pointer by Alec Ogelsby three minutes into the second half brought Stetson within 2, 40-38. Reynolds and Thomas responded. The transfer post player made a turnaround hook shot before Thomas sliced through the Hatters for a layup and made a pair of free throws.
Reynolds was then left wide open at the top of the key where he buried his first three-point attempt of the season to give Cincinnati its largest lead, 52-41, with 12:21 remaining.
Stetson hung around, cutting its deficit to as little as 5 on a 3 from Stephan Swenson with 7:42 left.
A flagrant foul by Hatters center Treyton Thompson served as the catalyst for four straight points for UC as Thomas drilled two free throws and Skillings flushed home a dunk to put Cincinnati up 68-58.
A shoving match broke out at the under-four-minute media timeout and four technical fouls were assessed with Thompson being ejected for the Hatters.
Blackmon scored 22 points after the break to keep Stetson within reach, but the Bearcats always responded when the Hatters got momentum and held on for their ninth victory at home this season.
FROM WES MILLER
“I’m glad we won. Sometimes the game before Christmas is a difficult one. Stetson is a really good basketball team. When you look down, they’re coming in here at 7-5 with the schedule they’ve played. Being at that level before, 7-5 with the schedule they’ve played means you’re a good team in December. I knew it would not be easy, their backcourt was pretty good tonight. I was trying to be positive, but one thing I said is we can’t let guys come in and get 30. Can’t do that, but hats off.
“[Jalen] Blackmon is a terrific player. He plays with a lot of freedom. I thought John [Newman III] did a really nice job on him early in the game and I thought John wore down. We were trying to just run John out to guard him. We subbed John out and put Jizzle [James] on him and Jizzle had a freshman session, he had a couple today, but that was one of them. We’re going to need to find some guys on the perimeter that can take challenges on. I thought as the game went on John lost a step a little bit and then we started putting them on the free throw line and then we lose them a little bit. I give him [Blackmon] credit, he was terrific tonight, but I’d like us to be better.”
NOTABLE
Cincinnati is 10-0 in Dan Skillings Jr.’s career when he scores in double-figures.
Jamille Reynolds has increased his scoring input in each game since making his season debut last Saturday. He had four points against Dayton, seven against Merrimack and 14 tonight.
Day Day Thomas (17 points) scored in double-figures for the seventh time.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati will take a week off before closing out the nonconference schedule by hosting Evansville next Friday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. inside Fifth Third Arena (ESPN+).
COURTESY UC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
