TicketsMASON, Ohio — In its first game under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, the Cincinnati men's basketball team rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat Ohio State 79-68 Wednesday afternoon at the CareSource Invitational at Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Senior guard Tylen Riley scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the free-throw line during the final 20 minutes, while senior forward Tyler Tejada scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime to lead the Bearcats' comeback.
Jayden Hastings added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Trevian Carson posted a team-best plus-18 rating in 30 minutes. Carson also recorded three steals.
Cincinnati dominated the interior, holding a 48-32 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounding Ohio State 45-35. Both teams struggled from 3-point range, with the Bearcats shooting 21.1% (4-of-19) and the Buckeyes shooting 17.4% (4-of-23). Cincinnati shot 59.4% (19-of-32) from the free-throw line, while Ohio State went 20-of-36 (55.6%).
John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with 15 points.
Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-4 lead on an Akai Fleming layup with 16:15 remaining in the first half before Ohio State responded with a 9-2 run to take a 13-9 advantage. LJ Smith scored on consecutive possessions during the stretch.
The Buckeyes maintained the lead for much of the remainder of the half. Tejada's layup cut the deficit to 22-21 with 7:51 remaining, but Ohio State answered with a 10-1 run to build its largest lead of the game at 31-22 with 3:54 left.
The Bearcats closed the half strong, using an 8-4 run to pull within 35-30 at halftime.
Hastings led Cincinnati with nine points in the opening half, while Riley added five. Mobley Jr. paced Ohio State with 10 points, while Amare Bynum contributed five points and five rebounds.
Hastings opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer, and Elijah Perryman followed with a layup to pull Cincinnati within 41-38 with 17:27 remaining.
Ohio State answered with an 11-6 run to extend its lead to 52-44 with 12:52 left, but Cincinnati quickly turned the momentum.
The Bearcats scored 14 of the next 18 points, with Tejada accounting for 12 during the run, to take their first lead since the opening minutes at 58-56 with 8:20 remaining.
Mobley Jr. tied the game with a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, but Cincinnati responded with another decisive run. The Bearcats scored 15 of the next 21 points, including 10 from Riley, to take a 73-64 lead with 2:28 remaining.
Riley then closed the game with six consecutive points as Cincinnati pulled away for the 79-68 victory.
The Bearcats return to action at 5 p.m. Oct. 17 against Illinois at Fifth Third Arena in their second of three exhibition games.