No. 20 Cincinnati looks to keep the pressure on against Morehead State.

No. 20 Cincinnati will provide a tough road environment for Morehead State on Friday night.

The Bearcats (1-0) opened the season with a 109-54 home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday. Despite the Bearcats shooting 58.3 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range, and leading 56-28 in points in the paint, Bearcats coach Wes Miller said that Cincinnati I hope to keep my effort and intensity high.

“I love coaching here because the fans love it when we make dunks,” Miller said. “But when you dive on the floor with three or four guys, they go crazy.”

Jizzle James had 12 points and 10 assists, recording her first career double-double against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Miller said he has the traits of an ideal point guard. James also had seven rebounds.

“Jizzle James is everything you want in a player,” Miller said. “His work ethic. He’s understood and coachable. He’s as honest as he can be. He doesn’t know how to be dishonest. I said, ‘Get other people involved. And you have to stop compromising.”He said, “I know Coach, I was just excited.”

Simas Lukosius led six Cincinnati players in double-digit scoring with 20 points. Dan Skillings Jr. had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

“Simas was going downhill (offensively),” Miller said. “It’s his second year in the program and he’s very comfortable with our offense. We’re seeing improvement.”

Despite the Bearcats having a 48-25 rebounding advantage, Miller expects more from Cincinnati when it comes to defensive rebounding. He said the Bearcats will use the time between games to “get our communication right and work on rebounding.”

“I didn’t like that Pine Bluff (Arkansas) grabbed (eight) offensive rebounds in my gym,” Miller said. “I expected us to be more athletic, bigger, deeper, better on the backboard. I didn’t like some of the communication defensively. But our players played into it. I think they responded and put some things together.”

The Eagles (1-1) lost 93-45 to Louisville in Kentucky on Monday. They were ahead 41-14 in the first half. But Morehead State bounced back and won its 27th consecutive game with an 89-48 win over Boyce College in Wednesday’s home opener.

Tyler Brelsford led the Eagles with 16 points, Kenny White Jr. had 15 points and Cade Rugsegger had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Breazeale scored 10 points, becoming the fourth Morehead State player to reach double-digit points.

Morehead State has improved to 63-0 against non-Division I opponents since 1992. Boyce is a member of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association. It was new coach Jonathan Mattox’s first win at Morehead State. He wants the Eagles to do a better job finishing in the paint and at the rim.

“What stood out for us was the finishing,” Mattox said. “We saw that against Louisville on Monday, and credit to them for playing well. But I think we’re going to go soft. We’re going to go with force, not subtlety.” We have to get in from two feet and get inside of them.” We hold our heads high and finish with contact. ”

–Field level media