Evansville Purple Aces at Cincinnati Bearcats
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Big second half rallies Cincinnati past Evansville 76-58
Cincinnati, now 10-0 at home, outscored Evansville 44-18 in the second half, led by Simas Lukosius who scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range.
In addition to Newman's 16 points, Lukosius finished with 15, Viktor Lahkin 11, Dan Skillings Jr. 10 and Day Day Thomas 10 for the Bearcats (11-2). Thomas added seven assists, six rebounds and four steals. Lahkin had nine rebounds with four assists.
Yacine Toumi had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead Evansville (10-3). Kenny Strawbridge scored 14 points and Tanner Cuff added 11.
After being outshot 58% to 36% and falling behind 40-32 in the first half, the Bearcats dominated the second half.
Cincinnati held Evansville to 10 points over the first 12 minutes after halftime while scoring 28. The Bearcats led 60-48 with slightly over eight minutes left in the game. Lukosius scored nine points on 3-for-3 3-point shooting and Newman added six in the run. After Toumi hit a jumper to open the second half, the Purple Aces missed their next 13 shots.
Three-pointers from Lukosius and Newman helped put the Bearcats up 67-50 with about five minutes remaining and they led by at least 14 points the rest of the way.
The Bearcats shot 39% for the game and got a boost from a 49-29 advantage in rebounds. They had 18 offensive rebounds, leading to a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Evansville is off to its best start in several seasons, having reached double digits in wins for the first time since 2018-19. Their 10 wins so far are twice as many as last season. The Purple Aces (1-1 Missouri Valley Conference) return to conference play on Wednesday with a road game against Indiana State.
The Bearcats open Big 12 play on Saturday, Jan. 6, when they face BYU on the road.
How can I watch Evansville vs. Cincinnati?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 58 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 58 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:11 | Kenny Strawbridge Jr. made Jumper. Assisted by Gage Bobe. | 58 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:19 | Dan Skillings Jr. made Dunk. | 56 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:45 | Viktor Lakhin Defensive Rebound. | 56 - 74 |
Statistics
 EVAN |
 CIN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-58 | FG | 27-69 |
| 41 | Field Goal % | 39 |
| 3-12 | 3PT | 12-29 |
| 25 | Three Point % | 41 |
| 7-13 | FT | 10-15 |
| 54 | Free Throw % | 67 |
| 29 | Rebounds | 49 |
| 5 | Offensive Rebounds | 18 |
| 24 | Defensive Rebounds | 31 |
| 12 | Assists | 22 |
| 7 | Steals | 7 |
| 7 | Blocks | 8 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 12 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 11 | Total Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 13 | Points Off Turnovers | 12 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 5 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 26 |
| 13 | Fouls | 12 |
| 9 | Largest Lead | 20 |
Game Information
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 10,977 | Capacity:
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
2025-26 Big 12 Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 16-2 | - | 36-3 |
| Houston | 14-4 | 2 | 30-7 |
| Iowa State | 12-6 | 4 | 29-8 |
| Kansas | 12-6 | 4 | 24-11 |
| Texas Tech | 12-6 | 4 | 23-11 |
| TCU | 11-7 | 5 | 23-12 |
| BYU | 9-9 | 7 | 23-12 |
| UCF | 9-9 | 7 | 21-12 |
| West Virginia | 9-9 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Cincinnati | 9-9 | 7 | 18-15 |
| Colorado | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Arizona State | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Oklahoma State | 6-12 | 10 | 20-15 |
| Baylor | 6-12 | 10 | 17-17 |
| Kansas State | 3-15 | 13 | 12-20 |
| Utah | 2-16 | 14 | 10-22 |