Moustapha Thiam collected 28 points and eight rebounds to lead Cincinnati to an 84-68 upset win over No. 8 Kansas in a Big 12 Conference showdown on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.
Baba Miller contributed 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Jalen Celestine added 14 points and eight boards for Cincinnati (15-12, 7-7 Big 12).
Day Day Thomas scored 10 points for the Bearcats, who matched a season high by winning their fourth straight game.
Flory Bidunga led Kansas (20-7, 10-4) with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Darryn Peterson tallied 17 points and Tre White added 11 for the Jayhawks, who have lost two of their last three contests following an eight-game winning streak.
A 17-2 rally allowed the Bearcats to break open a tightly contested game. Celestine had eight points and Thomas added five in the run that gave Cincinnati a 76-60 lead with 2:54 to play.
Kohl Rosario finally snapped Kansas’ drought with a layup. But the Bearcats outscored the Jayhawks 48-34 in the second half — and 23-10 over the game’s final 6:23
Elmarko Jackson tied the game at 49-49 with a nifty scoop layup as the Bearcats missed six straight shot attempts. But, Thiam’s second three of the game gave Cincinnati a 61-56 lead.
In a back-and-forth first half that featured nine ties and 10 lead changes, Bidunga had it going early in the post, his reverse layup tied the game at 19-19.
Peterson’s up and under through two defenders gave Kansas a 30-26 lead at the 4:51 mark. Late in the first half, an 8-2 Cincinnati run featured a 3-pointer and jumper from Thiam and a Celestine trey as the Bearcats took a 36-32 halftime lead.
The Jayhawks connected on 1 of 9 3-point attempts in the first half and shot 46.7% from the field. While Cincinnati shot 45.5% from the floor and 38.5 (5 of 13) from 3-point range.
