Cincinnati Dominates Alabama State Behind Baba Miller’s Career Night
CINCINNATI - This one wasn’t close. From the opening tip to the final horn, Cincinnati had full control of the game, cruising to an 88-51 win over Alabama State in what was easily their most dominant performance of the season.
The Bearcats didn’t just win - they overwhelmed. The 37-point margin was their largest of the year, and it was powered by a monster night from senior forward Baba Miller.
Miller was nearly flawless, dropping a career-high 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds. That’s not just a good game - that’s elite territory.
He became just the second player in all of college basketball this season to post at least 25 points and 14 boards while shooting over 90% from the field. And for Cincinnati, it marked the first time anyone’s done that in nearly three decades - not since the 1996-97 season.
Miller’s efficiency was eye-popping, but he wasn’t alone in making noise. Junior guard Jizzle James made his season debut and didn’t waste a second making an impact. He put up 16 points, knocked down three of his five shots from deep, and played with the kind of energy that gives this team another dimension moving forward.
Freshman guard Shon Abaev continued his strong early-season play, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists - a well-rounded performance that showed off his versatility. Graduate guard Kerr Kriisa ran the offense with poise, handing out a team-high seven assists, while sophomore big man Moustapha Thiam nearly posted a double-double of his own, tallying nine points, nine boards, and four blocks.
Cincinnati owned every facet of the game. They shot 49% from the field while holding Alabama State to just 29%.
The Bearcats dominated the glass with a 45-40 edge, but it was the way they did it - attacking the paint, pushing the tempo, and protecting the rim - that stood out. They outscored the Hornets 44-20 in the paint, had a 17-0 advantage in fast-break points, and swatted away seven shots while not allowing a single block on the other end.
The tone was set early. Miller got things rolling with five quick points as Cincinnati built a 10-2 lead.
Alabama State briefly cut it to 12-10, but that’s when James made his presence felt, converting a three-point play on the next possession to stop the bleeding. That play sparked a momentum shift that the Hornets never recovered from.
Cincinnati caught fire midway through the first half, hitting eight of nine shots during a 20-4 run that ballooned the lead to 35-16. Thiam’s alley-oop dunk capped a dominant stretch, and the Bearcats went into halftime up 50-25 - their second-best shooting half of the season at 51.4%.
Miller didn’t cool off after the break. He opened the second half with six straight points, including a dunk that kept the pressure on. Then came the highlight of the night - James threading a behind-the-back pass to Miller in transition for a two-handed slam that pushed the lead to 61-31.
From there, it was all about finishing strong. A 10-0 run, sparked by a Keyshuan Tillery layup and capped by a James jumper, stretched the lead to 85-47 and put the game completely out of reach.
This was the kind of performance that reminds you what this Cincinnati team is capable of when everything clicks. They were sharp, unselfish, and relentless on both ends - and with James now back in the mix, the Bearcats just added another weapon to an already deep rotation.