Viktor Lakhim scores 23 with 11 rebounds to lead Cincinnati past Eastern Washington 85-73
CINCINNATI (AP) — Viktor Lakhin scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Cincinnati to an 85-73 win over Eastern Washington on Sunday.
The 6-foot-11 junior from Russia was 9-of-12 shooting with two 3-pointers with 18 points coming in the second half.
The Bearcats were up 11 when Cedric Coward scored eight straight Eagle points and LeJuan Watts cut it to 49-45 with 12:42 to go. The Eagles missed their next five shots and Cincinnati went on a 13-2 run with four free throws and consecutive layups by Lakhin making it 62-47.
Eastern Washington cut the deficit to 70-62 with five minutes left but Day Day Thomas answered with a layup, Lakhin followed with a 3 and the lead remained in double figures the rest of the way.
Jizzle James scored 13 points, Thomas and Simas Lukosius both added 11 and Johnny Newman III had 10 for the Bearcats (3-0).
Coward scored 21 for the Eagles (0-3) and Jones had 16.
Cincinnati led 38-30 at the half, boosted by 4-for-6 shooting behind the arc to 2 of 11 for Eastern Washington.
Newman III and Dan Skillings Jr. hit 3-pointers in an early 14-0 Cincinnati run that made it 18-7 as the Eagles were going through an 0 for 9 slump. But EWU found its shooting eye and while making eight-straight shots got as close as two on a Watts layup that made it 26-24.
James scored seven-straight Cincinnati points and Newman closed out the half with a 3 to boost the lead back to eight.
Cincinnati continues its five-game homestand against Northern Kentucky on Sunday. After playing at Utah, Mississippi and Cincinnati in the season’s first week, Eastern Washington goes to Stanford on Sunday before playing its first game at home.
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