Cincinnati Basketball: Ohio State blows out the Bearcats in Maui Invitational matchup

After falling to Arizona in the first round yesterday, the Bearcats offense struggled to create quality shots in an 81-53 loss against Ohio State in the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati got off to a quick start from the perimeter before going scoreless for more than five minutes as the Buckeyes went on a 9-0 run and eventually built a 38-27 lead at halftime.

Jeremiah Davenport and Viktor Lakhin helped the Bearcats jump out to an early lead but the offense was clearly out of sync with six turnovers and an alarming zero assists in the first half.

Ohio State continued to dominate in the second half with a significant advantage around the rim as Cincinnati shot just 38.5% from the field with only one player scoring in double figures.

Cincinnati Basketball: Ohio State blows out the Bearcats in Maui Invitational matchup

Lakhin had a team-high 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks but Ohio State center Zed Key was even more productive with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes.

Bearcats senior guard David DeJulius struggled for a second straight night, shooting 0/5 from the field and finishing with one point in 28 minutes. Daniel Skillings had seven points in the loss.

Following a career-high 33 points in the loss to Arizona last night, Landers Nolley couldn’t buy a bucket against Ohio State and scored just two points on 1/6 shooting in 26 minutes of action.

Wes Miller’s team will look to snap a 3-game losing streak and end the Maui Invitational on a positive note against winless Louisville on Wednesday. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 PM on ESPNU.