The Bearcats fell to 10-2 (0-1 Big 12) on Monday night after falling 70-67 to Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats handed their first loss to the Bearcats since December 3rd, while the Wildcats picked up their first victory in 30 days.

Coleman Hawkins dominated on all facets of this one as the veteran forward proved to all why he was one of the most sought off players in the transfer portal this offseason after a 20-point, 10 rebound performances, in what was his best offensive night of the season.

Dug McDaniel anchored the Wildcats offense after finishing with 17 points on 7-13 shooting. The Michigan transfer was excellent for Jerome Tang and the Wildcats this evening as he did a fantastic job facilitating the Wildcats offense.

However, for Cincinnati, they were led by junior wind Dan Skillings Jr, who finished with a team high 18 points on 7-15 FG (4-7 Three). Skillings made a huge impact in this game from behind the arch as 12 of his 18 came from behind the arch, which was crucial in a back-and-forth battle like this. However, was also a great sight to see for Bearcats fans as Skillings was just 3-15 from deep entering tonight.

Dillon Mitchell finished with his third double-double of the season after a 15-point, 11 rebound performances.

However, Cincinnati shot 48% from the field in this contest, while the Wildcats shot 44%. But, for Cincinnati, the difference maker in this contest was 15 turnovers. Out of those 15 turnovers, Kansas State was able to flip that into 15 points. In a game like tonight, it was crucial to take care of the ball but have to give credit to Kansas State for the effort.

The Wildcats controlled this game from start to finish basically as the Bearcats only led for twenty-four seconds in this one. Now for Cincinnati, there's a lot to take away from this one, but most importantly, this could easily be a game that Cincinnati looks back near the end of the tournament when it comes March.

The Rundown

Kansas State jumped out to an early 9-3 lead over the Bearcats, as Cincinnati would start the game 1-5 from the field. The Wildcats were led by senior forward Coleman Hawkins, who had five of the Wildcats first nine points.

The Bearcats first three points came from Dillon Mitchell on a corner three with 16;58 remaining in the first half. However, it was all Kansas State in the opening segment as the Wildcats were dominating on all aspects in the opening minutes.

The Wildcats, extended their lead to nine, following a made three from Dug McDaniel. However, Cincinnati quickly responded after Day-Day Thomas was quick to make an impact after beating McDaniel baseline to make it a 12-5 game with 14:07 remaining.

That sparked a 6-0 run for the Bearcats as Cincinnati was looking to push the tempo and attack the basket. That segment quickly changed the momentum early as Cincinnati looked to get out and run and wear down the Wildcats, which is something Cincinnati has shown all season with their abilities to get out and run in the open court.

Kansas State held a 14-9 lead with 11:51 remaining after a back-and-forth battle over the last four minutes. Now, for Cincinnati, they would have to find a way to slow down Hawkins and McDaniel as the two combined for 12 of the Wildcats first 14 points.

However, the difference maker early was the Bearcats six early turnovers, resulting in seven for the Wildcats. Cincinnati's offense would eventually wake up after Aziz Bandaogo drew a foul on the lob attempt, where he went on to split the pair from the line. Hawkins responded right away for the Wildcats with an easy layup. Although, Cincinnati responded with a huge five-point swing to make this a 18-17 game with 8:06 remaining following the Jizzle James layup.

Cincinnati was able to claw back after a near three-minute scoring draught for the Wildcats. However, Kansas State would extend their lead to three following a pair of free throws from Max Jones. Hawkins found David' Ngussan for the alley oop to give the Wildcats a 22-18 lead.

Dan Skilling woke up the Bearcats offense after a quick seven point run to give Cincinnati a 27-26 lead. Skillings woke the offense up after beating Hawkings on the dribble drive for a huge left-handed slam. The junior wing, quickly followed with a contested mid-range jumper and a corner three that gave Cincinnati their first lead of the night with 2:24 to go in the first half.

Kansas State would take a 31-29 lead into the half, after a huge first half from Coleman Hawkins (12 points, five rebounds). However, for the Bearcats, they were led by Dillon Mitchell (8), and Dan Skillings (7) where Cincinnati shot 48% from the floor despite a very slow start. However, the difference maker in the first half was Cincinnati's eight turnovers resulting in eleven points for the Wildcats. Cincinnati was also only able to just grab one offensive rebound over the first twenty minutes of play, which isn't ideal for Cincinnati, as they are one of the top rebounding teams in the country.

Kansas State jumped out to a 37-31 lead after three early second half turnovers by Cincinnati. The Bearcats were held scoreless for nearly three minutes following the James midrange jumper in the opening seconds. That would force Wes Miller to take a timeout with 16:37 remaining in the second half with hopes of sparking some momentum in favor of the Bearcats after six unanswered for Kansas State.

Skillings would cut the Wildcats lead to three out of the timeout after a corner three. Brandan Hausen of Kansas State would quickly respond with his first triple of the night to extend the Wildcats lead back to six. Skillings would bury his third triple of the night to make this a 43-37 game with 14:37 as the junior wing was doing everything, he could to keep Cincinnati within striking distance.

Day-Day Thomas would cut the deficit to four, after five straight sparked some momentum for Cincinnati, as they trailed 47-43 with 11:45. Kansas State would heat up on the offensive aspect of things as they went eight for their last ten from the field and seemed like they were getting to their spots with ease.

Cincinnati cut the Wildcats lead to three after Skillings got downhill and attacked through traffic. However, Hausen responded on the other end with a huge three for the Wildcats. However, Cincinnati tied the game at 56 after five straight from Jizzle James after a huge and-1 play with 5:30 to go.

Kansas State would then regain their lead after Hawkins buried two free throws to make this a 61-56 game with 3:54 to go. Cincinnati responded with a deep three from Skillings to cut the deficit to two. Who other than Coleman Hawkins quickly responded for the Wildcats after a goaltending call on Aziz Bandaogo.

Cincinnati would trail 63-61 with 1:05 left to play after Aziz Bandaogo cleaned up the glass following the missed layup from Thomas. Jerome Tang would call timeout with hopes of drawing something up to put this game away in the final stretch. Which, the play Tang drew up worked perfectly after Max Jones was able to get to the inside and bury the turnaround jumper to extend the lead to four.

Now for Cincinnati, they had multiple opportunities down the stretch to close the gap but unfortunately weren't able to get the job done on Monday night. Which resulted in a 70-67 victory in favor of the Wildcats after a back-and-forth battle to the final whistle.

Up Next

The Bearcats will be back in action this Saturday, January 4th at 2:30 pm, as they welcome in Arizona for their Big 12 home opener.