Thomas leads with 20 points, Cincinnati never trails in 74-62 win over Dayton

CINCINNATI (AP) — Day Day Thomas scored a team-high 20 points, Shon Abaev added 14 points, and Cincinnati never trailed as they defeated Dayton 74-62 on Tuesday night.

Thomas was 3-of-6 from the field, 2-of-3 from deep, and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line for the Bearcats (3-0) in the victory. He added four assists and three rebounds.

Kerr Kriisa (9 points), Baba Miller (8), and Sencire Harris (8) each chipped in. Abaev’s 3-ball 16 seconds into the game gave Cincinnati a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, and rode a 9-0 run to a 13-point cushion with just 7:36 elapsed.

The Bearcats took a 33-26 lead into the locker room after the Flyers (2-1) went on a 12-4 run to end the half.

Amael L’Etang led with 14 points, De’Shayne Montgomery added 13, and Javon Bennett had 12 despite a 3-of-15 shooting night for Dayton.

The game was Cincinnati’s second annual Twyman-Stokes Classic, commemorating the lives and friendship of Cincinnati Royals teammates Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball