Ohio State basketball routs Cincinnati, 81-53, at Maui Invitational

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Zed Key scored 19 points and Brice Sensabaugh and Bruce Thornton had 17 apiece for Ohio State, which raced past in-state rival Cincinnati 81-53 Tuesday in the loser’s bracket at the Maui Invitational.

Justice Sueing added 11 for the Buckeyes (4-1), who improved to 9-4 all-time against the Bearcats, including four straight victories. It was the teams’ first meeting since the 2019-20 season opener at Columbus.

Viktor Lakhin scored 12 for Cincinnati (3-3), which has lost three straight games.

Both teams were defeated by ranked teams in the opening round. Ohio State fell 88-77 to No. 17 San Diego State and Cincinnati lost 101-93 to No. 14 Arizona.

Cincinnati had a six-point lead in the opening two minutes but Ohio State used its size and athleticism to take control with a 38-27 halftime lead.

Cincinnati had only four assists and didn’t get its first until the second half.

Ohio State had 19 offensive rebounds that led to 27 second-chance points. The Buckeyes outrebounded the Bearcats 42-29.

Ohio State will play No. 21 Texas Tech in the fifth-place game Wednesday, while Cincinnati will face winless Louisville in the seventh-place game.

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