CINCINNATI -- — Simas Lukosius had 19 points including five 3-pointers, Jizzle James scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and No. 17 Cincinnati eased by Nicholls State 86-49 on Friday night.

Dillon Mitchell had 12 points and nine rebounds and Arrinten Page added 11 points for Cincinnati, which returned after a week off following an 83-56 victory over Morehead State on Nov. 8.

The Bearcats have now started 3-0 in each of Wes Miller’s four years at the helm. He earned his 250th win last Friday.

Jamal West Jr. scored 12 points to lead Nicholls State (2-3).

Nicholls State coach Tevon Saddler played for Miller at UNC-Greensboro from 2013-15, earning Southern Conference freshman of the year honors. Saddler, at 29, is the youngest Division I coach in the nation.

Takeaways

Cincinnati was without Dan Skillings Jr., its leading scorer and rebounder last season, after he suffered a knee injury in a season-opening win when he finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Cincinnati did not miss Skillings as the Bearcats shot 54% and outrebounded Nicholls State 46-32. Aziz Bandaogo, a 7-foot senior had four of Cincinnati's 14 blocked shots.

Key moment

Cincinnati pulled away midway through the first half when Page started a 9-0 run with five straight points and Bandaogo made a basket on back-to-back possessions for a 25-12 lead. The Bearcats led by double figures the rest of the way.

Key stat

Cincinnati held Nicholls State to 26% shooting in the first half to build a 42-22 lead. The Colonels, who didn’t have a double-digit scorer until the 13:24 mark of the second half, finished 21 of 69 from the field (30%).

Up next

Nicholls State plays host to Towson on Wednesday.

Cincinnati plays at Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.

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