Efficient shooting (52.6 percent) and dominance on the boards (42-27) powered Cincinnati to a 79-65 win at Hofstra on Saturday afternoon, advancing the Bearcats to the NIT quarterfinals.

UC, which will play at either Colorado or Utah Valley next week at a date to be announced, was playing its first road NIT game since Oklahoma in 1991. The Bearcats went to the NCAA Final Four the next season. 

Cincinnati held a 22-13 lead through the under-12 timeout, including a 13-4 difference on the boards. UC started 12-for-17 from inside the arc, notching its first three-pointer on David DeJulius' corner bucket at 5:00 that opened a 31-25 lead.

Back-to-back Hofstra treys tied it at 31 at the 3:42 media timeout, and Mika Adams-Woods hit Ody Oguama for an alley-oop on the in-bounds to regain the lead. 

UC (23-12, 11-7 AAC) made three in a row from deep, after missing its first six, to lead 39-32 late in the half.

Cincinnati led 40-37 at the break and gained its largest margin at 55-45 on Adams-Woods' halfcourt steal and finger-roll layup at 11:51. The senior's second trey of the game at 7:47 extended UC's advantage to 66-53.

UC never trailed after the opening minutes. Hofstra was 6-for-11 from deep in the first half but went 1-for-10 in the second.

Landers Nolley II led UC with 20 points, his 12th game with 20 or more this year. Ody Oguama notched his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Hofstra (25-10, 16-2 CAA) was the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season champ and had lost once at home all year prior. It opened NIT play with an overtime win at No. 1 seed Rutgers.