Aziz Bandaogo scored 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and the Cincinnati Bearcats outscored the visiting Bryant Bulldogs by 29 points in the second half to cruise to an 85-53 win Tuesday night.
Bandaogo, a transfer from Utah Valley, added four blocked shots to help Cincinnati (8-1) outscore Bryant 55-26 after halftime and rebound from a Saturday loss to crosstown rival Xavier.
CJ Fredrick led the balanced Bearcats attack with 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers. John Newman III, Jizzle James and Dan Skillings Jr. each had 11 points.
The Bearcats blew open the game at the free-throw line, converting 29 of 37 attempts. Bryant was just 4-for-9 at the line.
Viktor Lakhin added 12 rebounds to help Cincinnati dominate the glass with a 57-33 advantage.
The Bearcats struggled in the first half against Bryant (6-6), which scored the game’s first five points.
Cincinnati finished the game on an 18-1 spurt and bothered Bryant with swarming defense. The frustration led to three technical fouls and the ejection of Rafael Pinzon, who fouled out in the final minute.
Cincinnati led just 54-48 after the Bulldogs’ Tyler Brelsford knocked down a three with 8:33 remaining.
But the Bearcats outscored Bryant 31-5 for the rest of the game.
Pinzon, who finished just 1-for-8 from the field, was slow to leave the court and the team bench area and got into a heated debate with his coach, Phil Martelli Jr.
Connor Withers had another strong game for Bryant, scoring a team-leading 15 points. The Bulldogs trailed by just three points at the half.
Earl Timberlake added 12 and Brelsford scored 10 as the only other Bulldogs in double figures.
The Bearcats will oppose Dayton on Saturday in Cincinnati, while Bryant will oppose Towson on Saturday in the Holiday Hoopfest in Elmont, N.Y.
–Field Level Media
