UC Bearcats blow late lead, lose to Minnesota

The 300th win for Jerrod Calhoun will have to wait until at least the weekend, as the Cincinnati Bearcats fell short against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 63-61.

UC led 61-54 with 2:37 to go and wouldn't score again. Isaac Asuma got Minnesota within a point with 14 seconds left, then Myles Colvin was fouled. Colvin missed a free throw with 10 seconds to go, then Asuma would miss one for the Golden Gophers with MJ Collins Jr. rebounding and getting fouled.

Collins had a chance to help the Bearcats but also missed the front end of a one-and-one. Still 61-60, that gave Minnesota's Bobby Durkin a 3-point look that he buried for the eventual two-point win.

UC had nothing but a last-second heave with less than a half-second on the clock. 10,419 fans took in the exciting game, but left grumbling after the Durkin dagger.

Minnesota coach Niko Medved called it "an old-fashioned rock fight".

For those old enough to remember the November 1989 opening of the Shoemaker Center, it was reminiscent of the Steve Sanders 3-pointer that caught Minnesota off guard 37 years ago, giving UC's Bob Huggins his first victory.

"We were owed it then, right?" Medved said. "I did not know that. It's a great arena for basketball."

The Bearcats drop to 2-1 with Minnesota remaining unbeaten at 3-0.

"At the end of the day, it's about wins," Calhoun said. "I'm really disappointed for our guys that they didn't get the win. Maybe we should've called a timeout and set the defense, but they had no timeouts. Last thing you want to do as a coach is let them set up."

It’s the earliest loss for a Bearcat team since the 2020 UC team dropped their second game to Xavier during the COVID-19 pandemic season.

It was not the best night of 3-point shooting for the Bearcats except for Tylen Riley. Riley canned six trifectas to help the Bearcats and had 25 points. UC was 7-for-29 from the perimeter, just 24.1%. Durkin's three-pointer for Minnesota was their eighth of the game and his first after going 0-for-5.

Outside of Riley, the Bearcats were 1-for-20 from the arc.

"Hardest thing to do with a new group is run offense and obviously, we're struggling with that," Calhoun said. "To hold a team to 63 and not win is incredible to me."

Another slow start means another line change for UC Bearcats

UC was down 7-2 early and Calhoun didn't care for what he saw. Despite Riley hitting a 3-pointer to pull UC to 7-5. Calhoun subbed all five starters out and sent five more Bearcats into the game. By halftime, 12 Bearcats had played. By the 6:45 mark, Eric Mahaffey's free throw gave UC a 24-23 lead, which would extend to 30-23. However, a drought of over four minutes allowed Minnesota to tie the game at 30 by halftime.

It would be the first of two scoring droughts that doomed the Bearcats.

"We're still searching," Calhoun said. "Your starting center (Jayden) Hastings is out. We're trying to figure it out. There's really no rhyme or reason to anything I'm doing. I don't think we have anything figured out. I think we have a lot of work to do."

Akai Fleming played just over two minutes after missing the Green Bay game with a knee issue. Calhoun also mentioned Bowling Green transfer Javontae Campbell in the post-game, saying he's "inching back". Campbell had a foot injury upon arrival in September.

Rough night on backboards for Bearcats against Golden Gophers

Minnesota led the entire first half on the glass, and at one point in the second half they had a 12-rebound advantage. They finished with the same 12-point lead, beating UC 40-28.

"We've worked on rebounding for about five or six straight days," Calhoun said. "It's something we have to continue to address. Every possession is extremely important. To get outrebounded by 12 at home is pretty concerning."

The win for Minnesota over UC is their first against the Bearcats since 1984.

UC starters Tylen Riley, Tyler Tejada get back to double-digit scoring

Against Green Bay, Riley had just two points and Tejada was scoreless. They were a combined 1-for-10 from the field.

Early in the second half against Minnesota, both had reached double figures. Riley had 26, and Tejada 10 points for the Bearcats. Kyan Evans had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota.

Off night for UC's Myles Colvin

Colvin, who had just three points in UC's opener, then 31 against Green Bay, had just two points at halftime. But he did hit a key trey giving UC a 59-54 lead with 3:27 left in the game. Unfortunately, he also missed a key free throw that may have helped the Bearcats prevail in the final seconds. UC was 8-for-12 on free throws, but the two late misses by Colvin and Collins will sting until the Bearcats get back in the win column.

"MJ Collins and Myles Colvin, we said we've got to do a great job of those guys and not let them get going from the three-point line," Minnesota's Medved said.

Collins and Colvin were a combined 1-for-7 from the perimeter.

UC Bearcats with 1st road game Nov. 14

The Bearcats will head up Interstate 75 for the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. UC leads the all-time series 62-32 and has won the last two, including last year's meeting at Fifth Third Arena, 74-62. ESPN+ will televise the game.

"It's a long season and Saturday's a new day," UC forward Tejada said. "We've got to come back ready to play."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC Bearcats blow late lead, lose to Minnesota