CINCINNATI — Myles Colvin tied a personal best with seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points Thursday night, Nov. 5, as the University of Cincinnati Bearcats beat the Green Bay Phoenix 81-64 at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats, playing in front of 9,003 fans, had to work for it: Green Bay led midway through the first half and cut the margin to four early in the second before Cincinnati pulled away, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Colvin, who also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, carried Cincinnati’s perimeter shooting almost by himself. Sports Illustrated’s Bearcats coverage reported that he went 7-for-12 from beyond the arc and posted the most points by a Bearcat since Dan Skillings Jr. scored 29 against Stetson in 2023. The rest of the Bearcats combined to shoot just 3-for-19 from long range, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, but Amani Lyles added 14 points and MJ Collins Jr. and Erik Mahaffey each scored 11.
The win did not come easily in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Green Bay, formerly known as Wisconsin-Green Bay, took a 20-19 lead at 8:01 of the first half before UC recovered to lead 40-32 at the break, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Phoenix got within four a minute into the second half, but Cincinnati’s defense took over, forcing 21 turnovers and outrebounding Green Bay 30-25. Orlando Lovejoy led Green Bay with 16 points, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Colvin’s outburst was a quick turnaround from Monday, when he was held to three points in the win over American. He stayed after that game to work on his shot, and it showed, as he hit four of UC’s five first-half 3-pointers. “It was good to see the ball go in the basket after a tough shooting night,” Colvin told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “My teammates trust me and my coaches trust me. They put me in a position to get as many points as I did today.”
Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb credited the home crowd afterward. “It’s good to see 9,000 people here. If you want to get it back to what it used to be, show up,” Gottlieb told the Cincinnati Enquirer. Sports Illustrated’s Bearcats coverage noted the victory was Cincinnati’s eighth straight win in a home opener. Cincinnati played shorthanded, though: center Jayden Hastings, whose shoulder came out of its socket early in the American game, did not dress and is considered week-to-week, and sophomore guard Akai Fleming sat out as day-to-day with a knee ailment, according to both outlets’ reporting.
The schedule steps up quickly for the Bearcats. Cincinnati has the weekend off before hosting the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten on Monday, Nov. 9, at Fifth Third Arena in the Twyman-Stokes Classic, a game honoring former Bearcat Jack Twyman, who became the guardian of teammate Maurice Stokes after a career-ending injury, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Minnesota, which returns four players who logged significant minutes last season, brings a power-conference test after two opening-week home wins.
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