UC’s Wes Miller, Simas Lukosius and Texas Tech’s McCasland win at UC
Cal’s Wes Miller, Simas Lukosius and Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland talk about the Bearcats’ win on February 3 in Lubbock.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Cincinnati Bearcats completed a dramatic conquest of Texas Tech, defeating Texas Tech 75-72 on Saturday night on the windy Great Plains against the No. 15 team in the country.
With 35 seconds left, Tech’s Pop Isaacs hit a 3-pointer for the 13th lead change of the game, giving the Reds a 72-71 lead. Undeterred, Simas Lukosius scored the game-winning goal 14 seconds later for a 73-72 lead and the 14th and final lead change. After one stop by the defense, John Newman III scored on his own for a dunk.
Lukosius led UC with 16 points, Dan Skillings Jr. had 14 points, Newman had 11 points and Aziz Bandaogo had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Isaacs led Texas Tech with 22 points. The Red Raiders fell to 16-5 (5-3 in the Big 12). It was their first loss at home this season. UC is currently 15-7 (4-5 in the Big 12).
Winning streak ends
Texas Tech was 11-0 at home. Lubbock Lumber’s last loss was on March 4, 2023 against Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders finished the 2021-22 season with an 18-0 record at home.
5 takeaways from UC’s Quadrant 1 win over Texas Tech
1. Tape sessions made a difference after Morgantown disappointment
For the second straight game, UC took the lead with less than six minutes left. I’ve let it go twice, but this time I threw it away. With No. 4 Houston next Saturday, back-to-back road games might have been too difficult to beat.
“We tried to get our members together, show a movie and talk about some things,” Miller said. “Obviously our players responded. We tried to address the frustrations from Wednesday.”
The Bearcats were perfect from the foul line (10-for-10) for the first time all season, outscoring the Red Raiders 35% to 33% from behind the arc.
“Going 10-of-10 from the free-throw line is a tremendous number,” Miller said. “For Aziz to go 4-for-4 is a big improvement because he shoots free throws well and he hasn’t been able to do that.”
Also giving the Bearcats confidence was Newman III starting after not practicing for two days. His nearly 33 minutes of playing time was second only to Lukosius, who was on the floor for more than 35 minutes.
2. Lukosius has his moment.
Isaacs was good at drawing fouls in this game, making a big trey late in the game similar to what he did Wednesday against the University of California in LaQuan Battle, West Virginia. Lukosius was the hero this time, making a jumper with 21 seconds left.
“I can’t say I was thinking about what happened in the last game,” Lukosius said. “I knew the play call, I knew I had the ball in my hands. Nothing really changed. Whether Pop hit a three or not, the play call was the same. We were down by one point. I knew it was going to be, so I said, ‘I’m ready to play.’
3. “Please refrain from throwing things on the floor.”
This was the request from the Texas Tech PA announcers after Cal led 53-50 and Bandaogo was given two free throws. The 7-footer was physically exhausted as the crowd booed him and some violated demands from the PA. United Supermarket Arena was tied at 15,098 for the game, but the Bearcats hit a goal from the student section in the second half.
“I’ve never been here before,” Miller said. “I’ve heard that this place is underrated. It’s underrated. This is a very difficult place to play. Grant (Texas Tech coach McCasland) is one of the best players in college basketball this year. They’re doing a better job than anyone else, which surprised me.” Both the environment and this building. ”
4. Good bandaogo is good for bearcats.
Bandaogo achieved double-digit points for the first time since winning the league, which was ranked second in the world at the time. 12 BYU. His plus/minus number was 12, meaning the Bearcats outscored the Red Raiders by 12 points in his nearly 27 minutes of playing time. His 10 points and 10 rebounds were his fourth double-double, which he achieved 17 times last season with Utah Valley.
“I thought Cincinnati was very physical,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “They kept putting pressure on us with rebounding the basketball. We ended up having eight blocked shots. We won. It wasn’t enough for them. They were. We want them to have a lot.” of trust. ”
5. Pops don’t stop, but they are suppressed
Isaacs scored 22 points, nine of which came from the free throw line, often putting the Bearcats in the air. He finished 5-of-19 shooting and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc.
“Pop Isaacs, oh my!” Miller said. “He’s as good an offensive player as I’ve seen on the perimeter in college basketball this year. He’s a tough, tough cover. Our game plan is to make things as difficult as possible. He was great at drawing fouls.”
Miller praised the stone-throwing sophomore defense of Newman and Day-Day Thomas. Lukosius said the plan was offensive to McCasland’s shooters.
“That was something that was really emphasized to us by the coaching staff,” Lukosius said. “We did special training to actually do it, and it worked out pretty well for us.”
next match
The Bearcats have until next Saturday, Feb. 10, to prepare for a 4 p.m. tip-off against No. 4 Houston at Fifth Third Arena. The Cougars lost to No. 8 Kansas 78-65 on Saturday.
Bearcat female successfully sweeps Red Raider
Coach Katrina Merriweather’s team defeated Texas Tech 74-56 at Fifth Third Arena early Saturday. Jillian Hayes had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.