The Cincinnati Bearcats and the WVU Mountaineers are in a close game in Morgantown, and the Bearcats took a 33-32 lead just before halftime. Kevin Jones has 10 points and seven rebounds for West Virginia.
WVU got out to an early lead, thanks to a jumper by Deniz Kilicli and a three-pointer by Jabarie Hinds, and the Mountaineers had an 11-9 lead at the first TV timeout. The Mountaineers widened that lead to nine down the stretch in the first half, but Cincinnati, catalyzed by a three-pointer by Dion Dixon, quickly narrowed the lead. Chiekh Mbodj and Jaquon Parker then scored eight straight unanswered points as the half came to a close, with Mbodj’s layup with six seconds left giving Cincinnati the lead.
Parker and Yancy Gates both have seven points for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati looked to be a formidable opponent for the Mountaineers, with wins over UConn, Georgetown and Pitt already this season, so the Mountaineeers will have their hands full in the second half.
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