Three Man Weave: Simas Lukošius' Heroics Lift Cincinnati Over Colorado 68-62

The Lithuanian was crucial to this road victory.

Jan 15, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Simas Lukosius (41) controls the ball in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Back in the win column.

Cincinnati held on for a near wire-to-wire 68-62 win over Colorado on the road Wednesday night. It was UC's first conference win of the season and moved them out of the Big 12 basement.

Simas Lukošius (16 points, seven rebounds) stormed back from his cold streak to lift Cincinnati. He was one of four Bearcats in double figures, including 10 points off the bench from Day Day Thomas. UC shot just 36.7% from the floor but got to the free-throw line consistently and didn't get sloppy with the ball (15-10 turnover advantage).

Colorado forward Bangot Dak (19 points, career-high eight blocks) almost willed a win on his own, but UC's elite defense did enough.

"It had been a tough start for both us and Colorado the last couple of weeks," UC head coach Wes Miller said after the game. "I'm proud of our guys for finding a way and staying together. We had a lot of guys contribute. Our depth was a big factor. Colorado did a nice job getting back in the game with a couple of over-the-tops to capitalize on our defensive errors. It was nice to see us pull out a close game on the road, something we hadn't been able to do the last couple of weeks."

They are now 8-1 all-time against Colorado.

Simas. Back.

Cincinnati is a completely different animal when Lukošius gets his jumper to fall like it did on Wednesday. He hit two of the biggest shots of the game to maintain UC's lead in the final minutes, finishing 6-12 from the field and 3-8 from downtown.

Add in two steals and seven big rebounds to a complete showing from the Lithuanian. UC needed at least one of its guards to step up on Wednesday and he answered that call along with Thomas. Jizzle James (five points, two assists) hit just 1-5 shots from the field but still played elite defense and impacted the action in other ways across a team-high plus-17 outing in his minutes.

"Both of the threes at the end of the game they felt good, so I had high hopes while the ball was in the air," Lukošius said about his huge makes at the end of the game.

Still, Lukošius stirred the drink in this defensive war and finally hit some of the sound open looks Cincinnati's offense had been creating for him. He averages over 15 points in UC's wins this season and less than seven in their losses. The defense has been ultra-consistent and has proved to be a winning combination with an impactful Lukošius to match.

He led all Bearcats in efficiency (17) and played great defense himself— ranking second on the team with an 83.5 defensive rating during his court time. Only CJ Fredrick (227.8) had a higher offensive rating than Lukošius (111.1). He returned to his normal offensive self just in time for UC.

Free Throws, Fastbreak Overcome Offensive Lag

Cincinnati still can't figure out its team shooting across the first quarter of conference play, but it supplemented enough easy offense and discipline to hit 68-plus points for the first time since Dec. 22.

UC turned elite defense into offense with a 16-9 fastbreak points advantage after posting just four of those points against Kansas. Their season-high 11 steals had a lot to do with that mark.

It's a testament to Miller and his staff that his team can stay locked in defensively despite shooting under 40% for the fourth-straight game. UC mixed in a few zone looks, but mostly sound switching and hounding man-to-man coverage powered that season-best steal mark. CU shot just 41.1% from the floor, posted only eight assists (averaged 16.7 entering the game), and was held to a 3-13 mark from outside as UC makes a case as the best three-point defense in the country.

Colorado was one of the highest turnover teams in the country entering the game and UC took full advantage. 

Lukošius swiped a few of those, but a big shoutout to Josh Reed (two points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists) for his effort on both ends. Cincinnati needs all the bench help it can get in this 20-game league gauntlet and Reed helped keep the dam built up in reserve minutes. He hit two of Cincinnati's 16 free throws on 21 attempts.

Accessing those easy points is crucial to UC's offensive health in the next 15 outings.

Bangot Dak, My Lord

Colorado had the best player on the floor Wednesday night. The long forward averaged just 5.9 points per game entering the contest but exploded for 19 points, eight blocks, and eight rebounds on 7-13 shooting.

He erased rim attacks all night long and was not part of fouling issues by Colorado (one of the team's 18 fouls). The 6-9 swatter skied for a few lobs and hit two of CU's three triples. It amounted to a whopping 29 efficiency score compared to Lukošius's 17 mark.

The sophomore did all he could to get the Buffs' first conference win, but UC's team performance overcame his breakout night. Cincinnati now prepares to face Arizona State at home on Saturday afternoon.

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