Day Day Thomas poured in 20 points and Shon Abaev added 14 to lead Cincinnati past visiting Dayton 74-62 in an electric atmosphere on Tuesday.
The rivalry between the two basketball-rich southwest Ohio schools separated by 35 miles returned to a campus rotation for the first time since 2010 after spending the past two seasons at a neutral site in downtown Cincinnati.
Baba Miller added eight points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati (3-0), which led wire to wire.
Amael L’Etang had 14 points and eight rebounds while De’Shayne Montgomery contributed 13 points and eight boards to lead Dayton (2-1).
Montgomery had a three-point play and a thunderous dunk with just under 10 minutes left to help the Flyers close out an 8-0 run and bring them within 48-46.
Cincinnati, which overcame 24 turnovers, answered with a 12-2 surge to build the lead back to 12.
Thomas and Kerr Kriisa knocked down 3-pointers in the run to help Cincinnati fend off Dayton, which struggled badly from 3-point range. The Flyers were just 2-for-26 from beyond the arc while the Bearcats were 9-for-19 from long distance.
Early on, Cincinnati made 8 of 11 shots from the floor to race out to a 25-10 lead. As hot as the Bearcats were, the Flyers were ice cold over the first seven minutes, misfiring on 8 of 9 from the field.
With Dayton trailing 29-14, L’Etang’s layup started an 8-0 run that got the Flyers back in the game. Cincinnati appeared to get the momentum back on a Abaev 3-pointer with 44 seconds left that ended the run. Abaev was fouled on the shot but missed the chance at a four-point play when his free throw was off the mark.
The intensity of the game picked up just before the half when Miller tied up Dayton’s Jordan Derkack by bearhugging him around the head and not letting go. Miller was called for a common foul and a technical on the same play, giving him three fouls before halftime.
Dayton converted four free throws to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 33-26 entering the break.
Miller led Cincinnati in scoring during its first two games but was held scoreless in the first half on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
