Cincinnati won its season opener with big offense. The No. 24 Bearcats won their second game of the season by tightening up on defense and pulling away down the stretch, topping the Albany Great Danes 74-51 in the second satellite game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Fifth Third Arena.
The Bearcats forced 22 turnovers and held Albany to 42 percent shooting in the 23-point victory. Those 22 takeaways, 13 of which came by way of steals, led to 24 points.
In addition, UC did something it had trouble with last year, clamping down on the Great Danes from 3-point range, holding them to 2-of-14 from distance.